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THE  HISTORY  OF  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 
m   THE   NINETEENTH    CENTURY 


THE    HISTORY 


OF 


YIDDISH   LITERATURE 


IN  THE  NINETEENTH  CENTURY 


LEO  WIENER 

INSTRUCTOR    IN   THE   SLAVIC   LANGUAGES 
AT   HARVARD   UNIVERSITY 


LONDON 
JOHN     C.     N  I  M  1\T  O 

14    KING    WILLIAM    STREET,    STRAND 
MDCCCXCIX 


^o  ^'h] 


Eo  Jig  JHotfjer 


fIZo 


PREFACE 


A  SUGGESTION  to  write  the  present  book  reached 
me  in  the  spring  of  1898.  At  that  time  my  library 
contained  several  hundreds  of  volumes  of  the  best 
Judeo-German  (Yiddish)  literature,  which  had  been 
brought  together  by  dint  of  continued  attention  and, 
frequently,  by  mere  chance,  for  the  transitoriness  of  its 
works,  the  absence  of  any  and  all  bibliographies,  the 
almost  absolute  absence  of  a  guide  into  its  literature, 
and  the  Avhimsicalness  of  its  book  trade  made  a  syste- 
matic selection  of  such  a  library  a  difficult  problem  to 
solve.  Not  satisfied  with  the  meagre  details  which 
could  be  gleaned  from  internal  testimonies  in  the 
works  of  the  Judeo-German  writers,  I  resolved  to  visit 
the  Slavic  countries  for  the  sake  of  gathering  data, 
both  literary  and  biographical,  from  which  anything 
like  a  trustworthy  history  of  its  literature  could  be 
constructed.  A  recital  of  my  journey  will  serve  as  a 
means  of  orientation  to  the  future  investigator  in  this 
or  related  fields,  and  will  at  the  same  time  indicate  my 
obligations  to  the  men  and  the  books  that  made  my 
sketch  possible. 

From  Liverpool,  my  place  of  landing,  I  proceeded  at 
once  to  Oxford,  where  I  familiarized  myself  with  the 
superb  Oppenheim  collection  of  Judeo-German  books 
of  the  older  period,  stored  in  the  Bodleian  Library  ;  it 
does  not  contain,   Jiowever,  anything  bearing  on  the 


n 


Yiii  PREFACE 

nineteenth  century.  In  London  the  British  Museum 
furnished  me  with  a  few  modern  works  which  are 
now  difficult  to  procure,  especially  the  j)eriodical  Kol- 
mewasser  and  Warschauer  Judische  Zeitung.  Unfortu- 
nately my  time  was  limited,  and  I  was  unable  to  make 
thorough  bibliographical  notes  from  these  rare  publica- 
tions ;  besides,  I  then  hoped  to  be  able  to  discover  sets 
of  them  in  Russia.  In  this  I  was  disappointed  —  hence 
the  meagreness  of  my  references  to  them.  The  Rosen- 
thaliana  in  Amsterdam  and  the  Imperial  Library  in 
Berlin  added  nothing  material  to  my  information. 
Warsaw  was  my  first  objective  point  as  regards  facts 
and  books.  The  latter  I  obtained  in  large  numbers 
by  rummaging  the  bookstores  of  Scheinfinkel  and  Mor- 
genstern.  In  a  dark  and  damp  cellar,  in  which  Mor- 
genstern  kept  part  of  his  store,  many  rare  books  were 
picked  up.  In  Warsaw  I  received  many  valuable  data 
from  Perez,  Dienesohn,  Spektor,  Freid,  Levinsohn,  both 
as  to  the  activity  which  they  themselves  have  devel- 
oped and  as  to  what  they  knew  of  some  of  their  con- 
freres. In  Bialystok  I  called  on  the  venerable  poet, 
Gottlober ;  he  is  very  advanced  in  years,  being  above 
ninety,  is  blind,  and  no  longer  in  possession  of  his 
mental  faculties,  but  his  daughter  gave  me  some  inter- 
esting information  about  her  father.  Wilna  presented 
nothing  noteworthy,  except  that  in  a  store  a  few  early 
prints  were  found. 

In  St.  Petersburg  I  had  hoped  to  spend  usefully  a 
week  investigating  the  rich  collections  of  Judeo-German 
in  the  Asiatic  Museum  and  the  Imperial  Library.  The 
museum  was,  however,  closed  for  the  summer,  and  the 
restrictions  placed  on  the  investigator  in  the  library 
made  it  impossible  to  inspect  even  one-tenth  of  the 
three  or  four  thousand  books  contained  there.     When 


PREFACE  ix 

about  to  abandon  that  part  of  my  work  the  assistant 
librarian,  Professor  Harkav}^  under  wliose  charge  the 
collection  is,  most  generously  jDresented  me  with  one 
thousand  volumes  out  of  his  own  private  library.  In 
Kiev  I  had  a  long  conference  with  S.  Rabinowitsch 
and  with  A.  Schulmann  ;  the  latter  informed  me  that 
he  is  now  at  work  on  a  history  of  Judeo-German 
literature  previous  to  the  nineteenth  century ;  the 
specimen  of  his  work  which  he  published  a  few  years 
ago  in  the  Jildische  Volkshihliothek  gives  hope  that  it 
will  entirely  supersede  the  feeble  productions  of  M. 
Griinbaum.  In  Odessa  I  learned  many  important  facts 
from  conversations  with  S.  J.  Abramowitsch,  J.  J.  Li- 
netzki,  J.  J.  Lerner,  P.  Samostschin,  and  depleted  the 
bookstores,  especially  that  of  Rivkin,  of  their  rarer 
books.  Jassy  in  Roumania  and  Lemberg  in  Galicia 
offered  little  of  interest,  but  in  Cracow  Faust's  book- 
store furnished  some  needed  data  by  its  excellent 
choice  of  modern  works. 

Thus  I  succeeded  in  seeing  nearly  all  the  living 
writers  of  any  note,  and  in  purchasing  or  inspecting 
books  in  all  the  larger  stores  and  libraries  that  con- 
tained such  material.  In  spite  of  all  that,  the  present 
work  is  of  necessity  fragmentary ;  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  by  cooperation  of  several  men  it  will  be  possible 
to  save  whatever  matter  there  may  still  be  in  existence 
from  oblivion  ere  it  be  too  late.  The  greatest  difficulty 
I  encountered  in  the  pursuit  of  my  work  was  the  iden- 
tification of  pseudonyms  and  the  settlement  of  biblio- 
graphical data.  As  many  of  the  first  as  could  be 
ascertained,  in  one  way  or  other,  are  given  in  an 
appendix  ;  but  the  bibliography  has  remained  quite 
imperfect  in  spite  of  my  efforts  to  get  at  facts.  A 
complete  bibliography  can  probably  never  be  written, 


X  PREFACE 

on  account  of  the  peculiar  conditions  prevailing  in  the 
Imperial  Library,  from  which  by  theft  and  otherwise 
many  books  have  disappeared ;  but  even  under  these 
conditions  it  would  not  be  a  hard  matter  to  furnish 
four  or  five  thousand  names  of  works  for  this  century. 
This  task  must  be  left  to  some  one  resident  in  St. 
Petersburg  who  can  get  access  to  the  libraries. 

This  history  being  intended  for  the  general  public, 
and  not  for  the  linguistic  scholar,  there  was  no  choice 
left  for  the  transliteration  of  Judeo-German  words  but 
to  give  it  in  the  modified  orthography  of  the  German 
language ;  for  uniformity's  sake  such  words  occurring 
in  the  body  of  the  English  text  are  left  in  their  Ger- 
man form.  All  Hebrew  and  Slavic  words  are  given 
phonetically  as  heard  in  the  mouths  of  Lithuanian 
Jews  ;  that  dialect  was  chosen  as  being  least  distant 
from  the  literary  German  ;  for  the  same  reason  the 
texts  in  the  Chrestomathy  are  normalized  in  the  same 
variety  of  the  vernacular.  The  consonants  are  read 
as  in  German,  and  B  is  like  French  j.  The  vowels  are 
nearly  all  short,  so  that  w,  ze,  i  are  equal  to  German 
i ;  similarly  a,  o,  eh,  ee  are  like  German  short  e.  The 
German  long  e  is  represented  by  e,  oe,  ae,  and  in  Slavic 
and  Hebrew  words  also  by  ee.  Ei  and  eu  are  pro- 
nounced like  German  ei  in  mein,  while  ei  is  equal  to 
German  ee  ;  a  and  o  are  German  short  o  ;  au  sounds 
more  like  German  ou,  and  du  and  6  resemble  Ger- 
man oi ;  ail  is  equal  to  German  ai. 

The  collection  of  data  on  the  writers  in  America  has 
been  even  more  difficult  than  in  Russia,  and  has  been 
crowned  with  less  success.  Most  of  the  periodicals 
published  here  have  been  of  an  ephemeral  nature,  aiul 
the  newspapers,  of  which  there  have  been  more  than 
forty  at  one  time  or  other,  can  no  longer  be  procured  ; 


PREFACE  xi 

and  yet  they  have  contained  the  bulk  of  the  literary 
productions  written  in  this  country.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  those  who  have  been  active  in  creating  a  Judeo- 
German  literature  will  set  about  to  write  down  their 
reminiscences  from  which  at  a  later  day  a  just  picture 
may  be  given  of  the  ferment  which  preceded  the  absorp- 
tion of  the  Russian  Jews  by  the  American  nation. 

The  purpose  of  this  work  will  be  attained  if  it 
throws  some  light  on  the  mental  attitude  of  a  people 
whose  literature  is  less  known  to  the  world  than  that 
of  the  Gypsy,  the  Malay,  or  the  North  American 
Indian. 

Cambridge,  Mass., 
December,  1898. 


CONTENTS 


FAGS 

Preface vii 

I.    Introduction 1 

II.     The  Judeo-German  Language       ....  12 

III.  Folklore 25 

IV.  The  Folksong 53 

V.     Printed  Popular  Poetry 72 

VI.     Other  Aspects  of  Poetry  before  the  Eighties  95 

VII.     Poetry  since  the  Eighties  in  Russia.        ,        .  105 

VIII.    Poetry  since  the  Eighties  in  America      .        .  118 

IX.     Prose  AVriters  from  1817-1863      .        .        ,        .131 

X.     Prose  Writers  from  1863-1881 :  Aeramowitsch  148 

XI.     Prose  Writers  from  1863-1881 :  Linetzki,  Dick  161 

XII.     Prose  Writers  since  1881 :  Spektor     .        .        .  177 

XIII.  Prose  Writers  since  1881 :  Rabinowitsch,  Perez  194 

XIV.  Prose  Writers  since  1881 :  in  America       .        .  216 
XV.     The  Jewish  Theatre 231 

XVI.     Other  Aspects  of  Literature      ....  244 

xili 


XIV 


CONTENTS 


CHRESTOMATHY 

PAOK 

I.      SSEEFER  KOHELES.      EcCLESIASTES.        M.  M.  Lefiii      258 

II.     Die  Malpe.     The  Monkey    .        .        S.  Ettinger    260 

III.  DaIGES    NACH    DEM  ToDT.      WoRRY  AFTER  DeATH 

S.  Ettinger     2G0 

IV.  Der  Elexder  sucht  die  Ruue.     The  Forlorn 

Man  looking  for  Rest 

B.  W.  Ehrenkranz-Zbaiier     261 

V.     Diwree  Chochmo.     Words  of  Wisdom 

E.  Z.  Zweifel    264 

VI.     Die  Stiefmutter.   The  Stepmother.    M.  Gordon    264 

VII.     Die  Mume  Sos.te.     Aunt  Sosie.       A.  Goldfaden     268 

VIII.    Semer   le-Ssimchas   Tore.     Song  of   the   Re- 
joicing of  the  Law         .        .    J.  L.  Gordou    272 

IX.     Die  Klatsche.  The  Dobbin.    S.  J.  Abramowitsch    276 

X.     Tunejadewke.     Parasiteville     .... 

S.  J.  Abramowitsch     284 

XI.     A  iiARTER  BissEN.     A  TouGn  Morsel 

D.  Frischmann     204 

XII.     Stempenju's  FiEDELE.     Stempenju's  Violin 

S.  Rabinowitsch     300 

XTIT.     Der  Talmud.     The  Talmud        .        .     S.  Frug    300 

XIV.     Das  .judische  Kind.     The  Jewish  Child  . 

S.  Frug     308 

XV.     Der  adeliger  Kater.     The  Noble  Tom-cat. 

M.  Winchevsky     312 

XVI.    JoNKiPER.    The  Atonement  Day.    J.  Dienesoliu    314 


CONTENTS  XV 

PAGK 

XVII.    Auf'n  Busen  vun  Jam.    On  the  Bosom  of  the 

Ocean M.  Rosenfeld    324 

XVIII.     BoNZjE  ScHWEiG.     BoNTSiE  SiLENT.     J.  L.  Perez    332 


I.     Appendix.     Bibliography 355 

II.    Appendix.    Pseudonyms 383 

Index 385 


THE  HISTORY  OF  YIDDISH  LITERATUEE 
IN  THE  NINETEENTH  CENTURY 

I.     INTRODUCTION 

The  literatures  of  the  early  Middle  Ages  were  bi- 
lingual. The  Catholic  religion  had  brought  Avith  ib  the 
use  of  the  Latin  language  for  religious  and  ethical  pur- 
poses, and  in  proportion  as  the  influence  of  the  clergy 
was  exerted  on  worldly  matters,  even  profane  learn- 
ing found  its  expression  through  the  foreign  tongue. 
Only  by  degrees  did  the  native  dialects  manage  to 
establish  themselves  independently,  and  it  has  been  but 
a  few  centuries  since  they  succeeded  in  emancipating 
themselves  entirely  and  in  ousting  the  Latin  from  the 
domain  of  secular  knowledge.  As  long  as  the  Jews 
have  not  been  arrested  in  their  natural  development  by 
external  pressure,  they  have  fallen  into  line  with  the 
conditions  prevalent  in  their  permanent  homes  and 
have  added  their  mite  towards  the  CA'olution  of  the 
vernaculars  of  their  respective  countries.  It  would  be 
idle  to  adduce  here  proofs  of  this ;  suffice  it  only  to 
mention  Spain,  whose  literature  would  be  incomplete 
without  including  in  the  list  of  its  early  writers  the 
names  of  some  illustrious  Jews  active  there  before  the 
expulsion  of  the  Jews  in  the  fifteenth  century.  But 
the  matter  everywhere  stood  quite  differently  in  regard 
to  the  Latin  language.  That  being  the  language  of  the 
Catholic  clergy,  it  could  not  be  cultivated  by  the  Jews 


2  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

without  compromising  their  own  faith  ;  the  example  of 
the  bilingualism  was,  however,  too  strong  not  to  affect 
them,  and  hence  they  had  recourse  to  the  tongue  of  their 
own  sacred  scriptures  for  purposes  corresponding  to  those 
of  the  Catholic  Church.  The  stronger  the  influence  of 
the  latter  was  in  the  country,  the  more  did  the  Jews  cling 
to  the  Hebrew  and  the  Jargon  of  the  Talmud  for  literary 
purposes.  It  need  not,  then,  surprise  us  to  find  the  Jew- 
ish literature  of  the  centuries  preceding  the  invention 
of  printing  almost  exclusively  in  the  ancient  tongue. 

As  long  as  the  German  Jews  were  living  in  Germany, 
and  the  Sephardic  Jews  in  Spain,  there  was  no  urgent 
necessity  to  create  a  special  vernacular  literature  for 
them :  they  spoke  the  language  of  their  Christian  fel- 
low-citizens, shared  with  them  the  same  conception  of 
life,  the  same  popular  customs,  except  such  as  touched 
upon  their  religious  convictions,  and  the  works  current 
among  their  Gentile  neighbors  were  quite  intelligible, 
and  fully  acceptable  to  them.  The  extent  of  common 
intellectual  pleasures  was  much  greater  than  one  would 
be  inclined  to  admit  without  examination.  In  Germany 
we  have  the  testimony  of  the  first  Judeo-German  or 
Yiddish  works  printed  in  the  sixteenth  century  that 
even  at  that  late  time  the  Jews  were  deriving  pleasure 
from  the  stories  belonging  to  the  cycle  of  King  Arthur 
and  similar  romances.  In  1602  a  pious  Jew,  in  order  to 
offset  these  older  stories,  as  he  himself  mentions  in  his 
introduction,!  issued  the  '  Maasebuch,'  wliieh  is  a  collec- 
tion of  Jewish  folklore.  It  is  equall}^  impossible,  however, 

1  "  Drum  ir  liben  Mannen  un'  Frauen,  leient  ir  oft  daraus  so  wert 
ir  drinnen  behiiuen  iim  nit  zu  leienen  aus  dcni  Bicher  von  Kiihcn  nn' 
von  Ditrich  von  Bern  nn'  Meister  Ilildabrant  soUt  ir  acli  euch  nit  tun 
miien,  nun  es  sein  wiirlich  eitel  Schniitz,  sie  geben  euch  nit  Warem 
noch  Ilitz,  acli  sein  sio  nit  gettlicli  darbei."  {Serapeiim,  Vol.  XXVII. 
P.  3.) 


INTRODUCTION  3 

to  discover  from  early  German  songs  preserved  by  the 
Jews  that  they  in  any  way  differed  from  those  recited  and 
sung  by  the  Gentiles,  and  they  have  to  be  classed  among 
the  relics  of  German  literature,  which  has  actually  been 
done  by  a  scholar  who  subjected  them  to  a  close  scru- 
tiny. ^  On  the  other  hand,  the  Jews  who  were  active 
in  German  literature,  like  Siisskind,  only  accidentally 
betray  their  Jewish  origin.  Had  they  not  chosen  to 
make  special  mention  of  the  fact  in  their  own  works,  it 
would  not  be  possible  by  any  criterion  to  separate  them 
from  the  host  of  authors  of  their  own  time. 

Had  there  been  no  disturbing  element  introduced  in 
the  national  life  of  the  German  Jews,  there  would  not 
have  developed  with  them  a  specifically  Judeo-German 
literature,  even  though  they  may  have  used  the  Hebrew 
characters  in  the  transliteration  of  German  books.  Un- 
fortunately, in  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
a  large  number  of  Jews,  mainly  from  the  region  of  the 
Middle  Rhine,  had  become  permanently  settled  in  Bo- 
hemia, Poland,  and  Russia.  Here  they  formed  compact 
colonies  in  towns  and  cities,  having  been  admitted  to 
these  countries  primarily  to  create  the  nucleus  of  a  town 
population,  as  the  agricultural  Slavs  had  been  averse  to 
town  life.  They  had  brought  with  them  their  patri- 
mony of  the  German  language,  their  German  intel- 
lectual atmosphere  and  mode  of  life ;  and  their  very 
compactness  precluded  their  amalgamation  with  their 
Slavic  neighbors.  Their  numerical  strength  and  spirit- 
ual superiority  obliterated  even  the  last  trace  of  those 
Jews  who  had  been  resident  in  those  regions  before 
them  and  had  spoken  the  Slavic  dialects  as  their  mother- 
tongues.     Separated  from  their   mother-country,  they 

1  F.  Rosenberg,  Ueber  eine  Sammlung  deutscher  Volks-  und  Ge- 
sellschafts-lieder  in  hebrdischen  Lettern,  Berlin,  1888. 


4  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

craved  the  intelbctual  food  to  which  they  had  been 
accustomed  there ;  but  their  relations  with  it  were 
entirely  broken,  and  they  no  longer  took  part  in  the 
mental  life  of  their  German  contemporaries.  The 
Reformation  with  its  literary  awakening  could  not 
exert  any  influence  on  them ;  they  only  turned  back 
for  reminiscences  of  ages  gone  by,  and  hungered  after 
stories  with  which  their  ancestors  had  whiled  away  their 
hours  of  leisure  in  the  cities  along  the  Rhine.  And  so 
it  happened  that  when  the  legendary  lore  of  the  Nibe- 
lungen,  of  Siegfried,  of  Dietrich  of  Bern,  of  Wigalois, 
of  King  Arthur,  had  begun  to  fade  away  even  from  the 
folk  books  of  Germany,  it  lived  on  in  the  Slavic  coun- 
tries and  continued  to  evoke  pleasure  and  admiration. 

These  chapbooks,  embodying  the  folklore  of  past 
generations,  were  almost  the  first  printed  Judeo-German 
books,  as  they  certainly  were  the  most  popular.  That 
the  early  Judeo-German  literature  was  intended  mainly 
for  readers  in  the  east  of  Europe  is  amply  evidenced  by 
specific  mention  in  the  works  themselves,  as  for  example 
in  the  'Maasebuch,'  where  the  compiler,  or  author, 
urges  the  German  women  to  buy  quickly  his  book,  lest 
it  be  all  too  fast  sold  in  Bohemia,  Poland,  and  Russia. ^ 
In  fact,  the  patron  of  the  '  Maasebuch,'  or  the  author  of 
the  same,  for  it  is  not  quite  clear  whether  they  are  not 
one  and  the  same  person,  was  himself  a  native  of  Mese- 
ritz  in  Lithuania.  Only  after  these  story  books  had 
created  a  taste  for  reading,  and  in  order  to  counteract 
the  effects  of  the  non-Jewish  lore,  the  Rabbis  began  to 

1  "  Drum  ir  liben  Fraucn  kaiift  ir  sie  behend,  e  sie  werden  kummen 
in  fremden  Liind,  in  Pelim  un'  in  Reussen  \in'  in  Polen,  aso  wert  man 
sie  ach  tun  weidlich  holcn,  un'  andern  Landern  mer,  drum  kauft  ir 
sie  ser,  dernoch  werd  ir  sagen,  warum  hab  ich  keins  gekauft,  da  sie 
sein  gewcsen  in  Land."     (Serapetnn,  Vol.  XXVII.  p.  ;^.) 


V 


INTRODUCTION  5 

substitute  the  more  Jewish  legends  of  the  '  Maasebuch ' 
and  the  '  Zeena  Ureena,'  and  the  ethical  treatises  which 
were  intended  to  instruct  tlie  people  in  the  tenets  of  their 
fathers.  In  this  manner  the  Judeo-German  literature 
was  made  possible.  Its  preservation  for  four  centuries 
was  mainly  due  to  the  isolation  of  the  German  Jews  in 
Russia  and  Poland,  where  the  German  medievalism  be- 
came ossified  and  was  preserved  intact  to  within  half  a 
century  ago,  when  under  favorable  conditions  the  Rus- 
sianization  of  the  Jews  began.  Had  these  conditions 
prevailed  but  a  short  time  longer,  Judeo-German  litera- 
ture would  have  been  a  thing  of  the  past  and  of  in- 
terest only  to  the  linguist  and  the  historian.  But  very 
soon  various  causes  combined  to  resuscitate  the  dialect 
literature.  In  the  short  time  that  the  Jews  had  enjoyed 
the  privileges  of  a  Russian  culture,  then  German  medie- 
valism was  completely  dispelled,  and  the  modern  period 
which,  in  its  incipient  stage,  reaches  back  into  the  first 
quarter  of  this  century,  presents  a  distinct  phase  which 
in  no  way  resembles  the  literature  of  the  three  hundred 
years  that  preceded  it.  It  is  not  a  continuation  of  its 
older  form,  but  has  developed  on  an  entirely  new  basis. 
The  medieval  period  of  Judeo-German  literature  was 
by  no  means  confined  to  the  Slavic  countries.  It  reacted 
on  the  Jews  who  had  remained  in  Germany,  who,  in 
their  narrow  Ghetto  life,  were  excluded  from  an  active 
participation  in  the  German  literature  of  their  country. 
This  reaction  was  not  due  alone  to  the  fact  that  the 
specifically  Jewish  literature  appealed  in  an  equal  degree 
to  those  who  had  been  left  behind  in  their  old  homes, 
but  in  a  larger  measure  to  the  superior  intellectual  ac- 
tivity of  the  emigrants  and  their  descendants  who  kept 
alive  the  spark  of  Jewish  learning  when  it  had  become 
weakened  at  home  and  found  no  food  for  its  replenish- 


6  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

meiit  within  its  own  communities.  They  had  to  turn 
to  the  Slavic  lands  for  their  teachers  and  Rabhis,  who 
brought  with  them  not  only  their  Hebrew  learning, 
but  also  their  Judeo-German  language  and  literature. 
Up  to  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  there  was  no 
division  of  the  Jews  of  the  west  and  the  east  of  Europe  ; 
tlie}^  took  equal  part  in  the  common  Judeo-German  lit- 
erature, however  scanty  its  scope.  What  was  produced 
in  Russia  was  read  with  the  same  pleasure  in  Germany, 
and  vice  versa^  even  though  the  spoken  form  of  the  ver- 
nacular in  Slavic  countries  was  more  and  more  depart- 
ing from  that  of  Germany. 

Even  Mendelssohn's  teacher  was  a  Galician  Jew. 
But  with  Mendelssohn  a  new  era  had  dawned  in  the 
history  of  the  German  Jews.  By  his  example  the  dia- 
lect was  at  once  abandoned  for  the  literary  language, 
and  the  Jews  were  once  more  brought  back  into  the 
fold  of  the  German  nation.  The  separation  of  the  two 
branches  of  the  German  Jews  was  complete,  and  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Slavic  countries  were  left  to  shift  for 
themselves.  For  nearly  one  hundred  years  they  had  to 
miss  the  beneficent  effects  of  an  intellectual  intercourse 
with  the  West,  and  in  the  beginning  of  our  century  the 
contrast  between  the  two  could  not  have  been  greater  : 
the  German  Jews  Avere  rapidly  becoming  identified  with 
the  spiritual  pursuits  of  their  Gentile  fellow-citizens, 
the  Slavic  Jews  persevered  in  the  medievalism  into 
which  they  had  been  thrown  centuries  before.  Only 
by  slow  degrees  did  the  Mendelssohnian  Reform  find 
its  way  into  Poland  and  Russia ;  and  even  when  its 
influence  was  at  its  highest,  it  was  not  possible  for  it 
to  affect  those  lands  in  the  same  way  that  it  affected 
the  districts  that  were  more  or  less  under  German 
influence.      The  (merman  laniruao-e  could  not  become 


INTRODUCTION  7 

the  medium  of  instruction  for  tlie  masses,  whose  homely 
dialects  had  so  far  departed  from  their  mother-tongue 
as  to  make  the  latter  unintelligible  to  them.  In  Russia 
it  was  a  long  time  before  the  native  literature  could 
make  itself  felt,  or  before  Russian  education  came  to 
take  the  place  of  the  German  culture  ;  so  in  the  mean- 
while the  Judeo- German  language  was  left  to  its  own 
evolution,  and  a  new  literature  had  its  rise. 

In  arriving  at  its  present  stage,  Judeo-German  lit- 
erature of  the  nineteentli  century  has  passed  through 
several  phases.  At  first,  up  to  the  sixties,  it  was  used  as 
a  weapon  by  the  few  enlightened  men  who  were  anxious 
to  extend  the  benefits  of  the  Mendelssohnian  Reform 
to  the  masses  at  large.  It  is  an  outgrowth  of  the 
Hebrew  literature  of  the  same  period,  which  had  its 
rise  from  the  same  causes,  but  which  could  appeal  only 
to  a  small  number  of  men  who  were  Avell  versed  in 
Hebrew  lore.  Since  these  apostles  of  tlie  new  learn- 
ing had  themselves  received  their  impetus  through  the 
Hebrew,  it  was  natural  for  them  to  be  active  both  in 
the  Hebrew  and  the  Judeo-German  field.  We  conse- 
quently find  here  the  names  of  Gottlober  and  J.  L. 
Gordon,  who  belong  equally  to  both  literatures.  Those 
who  devoted  themselves  exclusively  to  creating  a  Judeo- 
German  literature,  like  the  other  Mendelssohnian  disci- 
ples, took  the  German  literature  as  the  guide  for  their 
efforts,  and  even  dreamed  of  approaching  the  literary 
language  of  Germany  in  the  final  amalgamation  with 
the  Mendelssohnian  Reform.  In  the  meanwhile,  in  the 
sixties  and  still  more  in  the  seventies,  the  Jews  were 
becoming  Russianized  in  the  schools  which  had  been 
thrown  open  to  their  youths.  In  the  sixties,  the  Judeo- 
German  literature,  having  received  its  impetus  in  the 
preceding  generation,  reached  its  highest  development 


8  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

as  a  literature  of  Reform,  but  it  appealed  only  to 
those  who  had  not  had  the  benefits  of  the  Russian 
schools.  In  the  seventies  it  became  reminiscent,  and 
was  in  danger  of  rapid  extinction.  In  the  eighties,  the 
persecutions  and  riots  against  tlie  Jews  led  many  of 
those  who  had  availed  themselves  of  the  Russian  culture 
to  devote  themselves  to  the  service  of  their  less  fortu- 
nate brethren  ;  and  many  new  forces,  that  otherwise 
would  have  found  their  way  into  Russian  letters,  were 
exerted  entirely  in  the  evolution  of  Judeo-German. 
In  this  new  stage,  the  Mendelssohnian  Reform,  with  its 
concomitant  German  language,  was  lost  sight  of.  The 
element  of  instruction  was  still  an  important  one  in  this 
late  period,  but  this  instruction  was  along  universal  lines, 
and  no  longer  purely  Jewish ;  above  all  else,  this  litera- 
ture became  an  art. 

Poetry  was  the  first  to  be  developed,  as  it  lent  itself 
more  readily  to  didactic  purposes ;  it  has  also,  until 
lately,  remained  in  closer  contact  with  the  popular  poetry, 
which,  in  its  turn,  is  an  evolution  of  the  poetry  of  the 
preceding  centuries.  The  theatre  was  the  latest  to  de- 
tach itself  from  prose,  to  which  it  is  organically  related. 
These  facts  have  influenced  the  sejDarate  treatment  of 
the  three  divisions  of  literature  in  the  present  Avork. 
It  was  deemed  indispensable  to  add  to  these  a  chapter 
on  the  Judeo-German  folklore,  as  the  reading  of  Judeo- 
German  works  would  frequently  be  unintelligible  with- 
out some  knowledge  of  the  creations  of  the  popular 
mind.  Here  the  relation  to  medievalism  is  even  more 
apparent  than  in  the  popular  poetry  ;  in  fact,  the  greater 
part  of  the  printed  books  of  that  class  owe  their  origin 
to  past  ages  ;  they  are  frequently  nothing  more  than 
modernizations  of  old  books,  as  is,  for  example,  the  case 
with  '  Bev3^s  of   Hamptoun,'  whicli,  but   for   the   Ian- 


INTRODUCTION  9 

guage,  is  identical  with  its  prototype   in    the   begin- 
ning of  the  sixteenth  centur3\ 

In  its  popular  form,  Judeo-German  is  certainly  not 
inferior  to  many  of  the  literary  languages  which  have 
been  fortunate  enough  to  attract  the  attention  of  the 
linguist  and  student  of  comparative  literature.  In 
its  belleslettres  it  compares  favorably  with  those  of 
countries  like  Bulgaria,  which  had  their  regeneration 
at  about  the  same  time ;  nay,  it  may  appear  to  the  un- 
biassed observer  that  it  even  surpasses  them  in  that 
respect.  And  yet,  in  spite  of  it  all,  Judeo-German  has 
remained  practically  a  sealed  book  to  the  world.  The 
few  who  have  given  reports  of  it  display  an  astounding 
amount  of  ignorance  on  the  subject.  Karpeles  devotes, 
in  his  history  of  Jewish  literature,  almost  thirty  pages 
to  the  medieval  form  of  it,  but  to  the  rich  modern 
development  of  it  only  two  lines !  ^  Steinschneider 
knows  by  hearsay  only  Dick,  and  denies  the  practical 
value  of  modern  Judeo-German. ^  But  the  acme  of  com- 
placent ignorance,  not  to  use  a  stronger  word,  is  reached 
by  Griinbaum,^  who  dishes  up,  as  specimens  of  literature, 
newspaper  advertisements  and  extracts  of  Schaike- 
witsch,  not  mentioning  even  by  name  a  single  one  of  the 
first-class  writers.  It  is  painful  to  look  into  the  pages 
of  his  work,  which,  apart  from  endless  linguistic  blun- 
ders of  a  most  senseless  character,  has  i^robably  done 

^  G.  Karpeles,  Geschichte  der  jMisrhen  Literatiir,  Berlin,  1886, 
1029  pp. 

"  M.  Steinschneider,  Die  itaUenische  Litteratur  der  Jitden,  in  3Io- 
natschrift  fur  Geschichte  loid  Wissenschaft  des  Judenthums,yo\.  XLII. 
pp.  74-79. 

3  M.  Griinbaum,  Die  jUdisch-deiitsche  Litteratur  in  Dentschland, 
Polen  und  Amerika  (Abdruck  aus  Winter  und  Wiinsche,  Die  jiidische 
Litteratur  seit  Abschluss  des  Kanons,  Bd.  III.  s.  531  ff.),  Trier,  1894, 
8vo,  91  pp. 


10  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

more  than  anything  else  to  divert  attention  from  this 
interesting  literature. 

Much  more  sympathetic  are  the  few  pages  which 
Berenson  devotes  to  it  in  an  article  in  the  Andover 
Revieio  ;^  though  abounding  in  errors,  it  is  fair  and 
unbiassed,  and  at  least  displays  a  familiarity  with  the 
originals.  Still  better  are  the  remarks  of  the  Polish 
author  Klemens  Junosza  in  the  introductions  to  his 
translations  of  the  works  of  Abramowitsch  into  Polish  ; 
the  translations  themselves  are  masterpieces,  consider- 
ing the  extreme  quaintness  of  Abramowitsch's  style. 
There  are,  indeed,  a  few  sketches  on  the  Judeo-Gerrnan 
literature  written  in  the  dialect  itself, ^  but  none  of 
them  attest  a  philosophical  grasp  of  the  subject,  or 
even  betray  a  thorough  familiarity  with  the  literature. 
A  number  of  good  reviews  on  various  productions 
have  appeared  in  the  Russian  periodical  Vosehod,  from 
the  pen  of  one  signing  himself  "  Criticus."^  To  one  of 
these  reviews  he  has  attached  a  discussion  of  the  litera- 
ture in  general ;  this,  however  short,  is  the  best  that 
has  yet  been  written  on  the  subject. 

It  is  hard  to  foretell  the  future  of  Judeo-German. 
In  America  it  is  certainly  doomed  to  extinction.*     Its 

1  B.  Berenson,  Contemporary  Jewish  Fiction,  in  Andover  Beview, 
Vol.  X.  pp.  598-602. 

2  J.  Dienesolm,  Die  jlhlische  Sprache  mV  ihre  Schreiber,  in  Ilaus- 
freitnd,  Vol.  I.  pp.  1-20;  N.  Solotkov,  A  3Iaisse  wegen  Mnisses  ;  odcr 
A  Blick  ilber  die  zargonische  Literatiir,  in  Stddt-anzeiger,  No.  I. 
pp.  11-16,  No.  II.  pp.  17-22 ;  J.  Goido,  Die  zargonische  Literatiir  in 
America,  in  Amerikanischer  Volkskalender,  Vol.  III.  pp.  73-77 ; 
Americanus,  Die  jUdisch-deiUsche  Literatur  in  America,  in  Neuer 
Geist,  No.  VI.  pp.  352-355. 

8  Novosti  zargonnoj  literatury,  in  Vosehod,  Vol.  IX.  No.  7, 
pp.  l*J-37;  see  also  Sistematiccskij  nkazateV,  pp.  285-287,  Nos.  4651- 
4683. 

*  Cf.  Ph.  Wiernik,  Wie  lang  wet  unscr  Literatur  hlWhcn?  in  Xeuer 
Geist,  No.  VI. 


INTRODUCTION  11 

lease  of  life  is  commensurate  with  the  last  large  immi- 
gration to  the  new  world.  In  the  countries  of  Europe  it 
M'ill  last  as  long  as  tliere  are  any  disabilities  for  the  Jews, 
as  long  as  the}'  are  secluded  in  Ghettos  and  driven  into 
Pales. ^  It  would  be  idle  to  speculate  when  these  perse- 
cutions will  cease. 

1  The  Pale  of  Jewish  settlement  is  confined  to  the  ■western  provinces, 
coinciding  almost  exactly  with  the  old  kingdoms  of  Poland  and 
Lithuania. 


II.     THE   JUDEO-GERMAN   LANGUAGE 

There  is  probably  no  other  language  in  existence  on 
which  so  much  opprobrium  has  been  heaped  as  on  the 
Judeo-German.i  Philologists  have  neglected  its  study, 
Germanic  scholars  have  until  lately  been  loath  to  admit 
it  as  a  branch  of  the  German  language,  and  even  now 
it  has  to  beg  for  recognition.  German  writers  look 
upon  it  with  contempt  and  as  something  to  be  shunned  ; 
and  for  over  half  a  century  the  Russian  and  Polish 
Jews,  whose  mother-tongue  it  is,  have  been  replete 
with  apologies  whenever  they  have  had  recourse  to  it 
for  literary  purposes. ^  Such  a  bias  can  be  explained 
only  as  a  manifestation  of  a  general  prejudice  against 

1  To  cite  one  example  out  of  many  :  In  the  Journal  of  American 
Folklore,  Vol.  VII.  pp.  72-74,  there  appeared  a  short  appeal,  by  F.  S. 
Krauss,  to  the  folklorists  of  America,  to  collect  whatsoever  of  Jewish 
lore  may  be  found  here  ere  the  German  Jews  become  entirely  Ameri- 
canized. It  seems  that  Krauss  had  in  mind  the  German  language ; 
but,  for  some  reason,  R.  Andree,  editor  of  the  Globus,  thought  of 
Judeo-German,  whereupon  he  made  a  violent  attack  upon  it  in  an 
article,  Sprachwechsel  der  Juden  in  Nord-America,  in  Vol.  LXV.  of 
his  periodical,  p.  303.  Lenz,  in  his  Eindringlinge  im  Worter-  iind 
Zitaten-schatz  der  deutscheii  Sprache  (Mlinstei',  1895,  8vo,  28  pp.), 
caps,  however,  the  climax  in  his  antipathy  for  the  Jargon  by  making 
it  the  subject  of  antisemitic  propaganda ! 

2  Even  Frug,  who  is  a  master  of  the  dialect,  and  who  wields  it  with 
more  vigor  than  the  Russian  language,  thought  it  necessary  to  devote 
a  whole  series  of  poems  to  the  reluctant  defence  of  his  vernacular,  in 
Lieder  vun  deni  jiidischen  Zaryon,  in  JUdisches  ]'oH:sblatt,  Vol.  VIII. 
(Beilage)  pp.  881-89G;  also  reprinted  in  his  Lieder  ««'  Oedanken. 
Cf .  p.  108  of  the  present  work. 

12 


THE  JUDEO-GERMAN  LANGUAGE        13 

everything  Jewish,  for  passions  have  been  at  play  to 
such  an  extent  as  to  blind  the  scientific  vision  to  the 
most  obvious  and  common  linguistic  phenomena.  Un- 
fortunatel3%  this  interesting  evolution  of  a  German  dia- 
lect has  found  its  most  violent  opponents  in  the  German 
Jews,  who,  since  the  day  of  Mendelssohn,  have  come 
to  look  upon  it  as  an  arbitrary  and  vicious  corruption 
of  the  language  of  their  country.^     This  attack  upon 

1  Witness  the  frequent  dogmatic  statements  and  attacks  on  it  by  the 
historian  Gratz.  These  finally  brought  forth  a  rejoinder  by  J.  Diene- 
sohn  in  the  JUd.  Volksblatt,  Vol.  VIII.  (Beilage),  pp.  33-43,  entitled 
Professor  Griltz  un''  der  jildischer  Zarr/on,  oder  Wcr  mit  icas  darf  sich 
schdmen  ?  and  this  was  followed  by  a  similar  article  {ibid.  pp.  65-68, 
129-133)  from  the  editor  of  the  Volksblatt,  iu  which  Gratz's  dogmatism 
is  put  in  no  enviable  light.  Even  Steinschneider  has  no  love  for  it ; 
although  he  has  written  so  much  and  so  well  on  its  literature,  he 
knows  nothing  of  its  nineteenth-century  development,  and  nearly  all 
his  quotations  of  Judeo-German  words  that  in  any  way  differ  from  the 
German  form  are  preposterously  wrong.  Karpeles,  writing  the  history 
of  its  literature,  confessedly  knows  nothing  of  the  language.  M.  Griin- 
baum,  in  his  Jiidisch-dejitsche  Chrestomathie  and  Die  Jildisch-deutsche 
Litteratur,  displays  an  ignorance  of  the  dialect  which  would  put  to 
shame  a  sophomoric  newspaper  reporter  of  a  scientific  lecture.  What 
wonder,  then,  that  J).  Philipson,  devoting  a  chapter  to  TTie  Ghetto  in 
Literature  (pp.  220-255  in  Old  European  Jewries,  Philadelphia,  1894), 
should  not  even  suspect  the  existence  of  an  extensive  and  highly 
interesting  literature  of  the  subject  in  the  langiiage  of  the  Ghetto 
itself  !  Among  the  few  memorable  exceptions  among  German  scholars 
are  Gudemann  and  Strack,  who  approach  Judeo-German  in  a  fair 
and  scholarly  manner.  See  M.  Giidemann,  Quellenschriften  zur  Ge- 
schichte  des  Unterrichts  und  der  Erziehung  hei  den  detitschen  Juden, 
etc.,  Berlin,  1891,  pp.  xxii,  xxiii,  and,  by  the  same  author,  Geschichte 
des  ErzieJutngsicesens  nnd  der  Cultiir  der  Juden  in  Frankreich  und 
Deutschland,  Vol.  I.  note  ili.  pp.  273-287,  and  Vol.  III.  note  vii. 
pp.  280-297.  Still  fewer  are  those  who  have  subjected  Judeo-Ger- 
man to  a  thorough  philological  investigation.  All  efforts  in  that 
direction  will  be  found  catalogued  by  A.  Landau,  Bibliorjraphie  des 
J'tldisch-deutschen,  in  Deutsche  Mundarten,  Zeitschrift  fiir  Bearhei- 
tung  des  imindartlichen  Materials,  herausgegeben  von  Dr.  Johann 
Willibald  Nagl,  Vienna,  1896,  Heft  II.  pp.  126-132.     To  those  men- 


14  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

it,  while  justifiable  in  so  far  as  it  affects  its  survival  in 
Germany,  loses  all  reasonableness  when  transferred  to 
the  Jews  of  Russia,  former  Poland  and  Roumania,  where 
it  forms  a  comparatively  uniform  medium  of  intercourse 
of  between  five  and  six  millions  of  people,  of  whom  the 
majority  know  no  other  language.  It  cannot  be  main- 
tained that  it  is  desirable  to  preserve  the  Judeo-German, 
and  to  give  it  a  place  of  honor  among  the  sisterhood  of 
languages  ;  but  that  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  historic 
fact  of  its  existence.  The  many  millions  of  people  who 
use  it  from  the  day  of  their  birth  cannot  be  held  re- 
sponsible for  any  intentional  neglect  of  grammatical 
rules,  and  its  widespread  dissemination  is  sufficient 
reason  for  subjecting  it  to  a  thorough  investigation. 
A  few  timid  attempts  have  been  made  in  that  direction, 
but  they  are  far  from  being  exhaustive,  and  touch  but 
a  small  part  of  the  very  rich  material  at  hand.  Nor  is 
this  the  place  in  which  a  complete  discussion  of  the 
matter  is  to  be  looked  for.  This  chapter  presents  only 
such  of  the  data  as  must  be  well  understood  for  a  cor- 
rect appreciation  of  the  dialectic  varieties  current  in 
the  extensive  Judeo-German  literature  of  the  last  fifty 
years. 

All  languages  are  subject  to  a  continuous  change,  not 
only  from  within,  through  natural  growth  and  decay, 
but  also  from  without,  through  the  influence  of  foreign 
languages  as  carriers  of  new  ideas.  The  languages  of 
Europe,  one  and  all,  owe  their  Latin  elements  to  the 

tioned  by  him  must  be  added  A.  Schulmann's  Die  Geschichte  vnn  der 
Zargon-Uteratur,  in  JUdischcs  VolkshlaU,  Vol.  II.  pp.  115-134,  ^Yhich 
is  very  rich  in  data,  and  A.  Landau's  Dns  Dt'mimUivnm  der  galizisch- 
judischen  Mrindart,  Ein  Kapitel  a\(s  der  jUdischen  GrammatiJc,  in 
Deutsche  Miindarten,  Vol.  I.  pp.  46-58.  This  is,  outside  of  Saineanu's 
work  (mentioned  in  Landau's  Bihliorjrapliie),  the  best  grammatical 
disquisition  on  Judeo-German  that  has  so  far  appeared. 


THE   JUDEO-GERMAN    LANGUAGE  15 

universality  of  the  Roman  dominion,  and,  later,  of  the 
Catholic  Church.  With  the  Renaissance,  and  lately 
through  the  sciences,  much  Greek  has  been  added  to 
their  vocabularies.  When  two  nations  have  come  into 
a  close  intellectual  contact,  the  result  has  always  been 
a  mixture  of  languages.  In  the  case  of  English,  the 
original  Germanic  tongue  has  become  almost  unrecog- 
nizable under  the  heavy  burden  of  foreign  words.  But 
more  interesting  than  these  cases,  and  more  resembling 
the  formation  of  the  Judeo-German,  are  those  non- 
Semitic  languages  that  have  come  under  the  sway 
of  Mohammedanism.  Their  religious  literature  being 
always  written  in  the  Arabic  of  the  Koran,  they  were 
continually,  for  a  long  period  of  centuries,  brought 
under  the  same  influences,  and  these  have  caused  them 
to  borrow,  not  only  many  words,  but  even  whole  turns 
and  sentences,  from  their  religious  lore.  The  Arabic 
has  freq^uently  become  completely  transformed  under 
the  pronunciation  and  grammatical  treatment  of  the 
borrowing  language,  but  nevertheless  a  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  such  tongues  as  Turkish  and  Persian  is  not 
possible  without  a  fair  understanding  of  Arabic.  The 
case  is  still  more  interesting  with  Hindustani,  spoken 
by  more  than  one  hundred  millions  of  people,  where 
more  than  five-eighths  of  the  language  is  not  of  Indian 
origin,  but  Persian  and  Arabic.  With  these  preliminary 
facts  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  see  what  has  taken  place 
in  Judeo-German. 

Previous  to  the  sixteenth  century  the  Jews  in  Ger- 
many spoke  the  dialects  of  their  immediate  surround- 
ings ;  there  is  no  evidence  to  prove  any  introduction 
of  Hebrew  words  at  that  early  period,  although  it  must 
be  supposed  that  words  relating  purely  to  the  Mosaic 
ritual  mav  have  found  their  wav  into  the  s]»nken  Ian- 


16  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

guage  even  then.  The  sixteenth  century  finds  a  large 
number  of  German  Jews  resident  in  Bohemia,  Poland, 
and  Lithuania.  As  is  frequently  the  case  with  immi- 
grants, the  Jews  in  those  distant  countries  developed 
a  greater  intellectual  activity  than  their  brethren  at 
home,  and  tliis  is  indicated  by  the  prominence  of  the 
printing  offices  at  Prague  and  Cracow,  and  the  large 
number  of  natives  of  those  countries  who  figure  as 
authors  of  Judeo-German  works  up  to  the  nineteenth 
century.  But  torn  away  from  a  vivifying  intercourse 
with  their  mother-country,  their  vocabulary  could  not 
be  increased  from  the  living  source  of  the  language 
alone,  for  their  interests  began  to  diverge.  Religious 
instruction  being  given  entirely  in  Hebrew,  it  was 
natural  for  them  to  make  use  of  all  such  Hebrew 
words  as  they  thus  became  familiar  with.  Their 
close  study  of  the  Talmud  furnished  them  from  that 
source  with  a  large  number  of  words  of  argumentation, 
while  the  native  Slavic  languages  naturally  added  their 
mite  toward  making  the  Judeo-German  more  and  more 
unlike  the  mother-tongue.  Since  books  printed  in 
Bohemia  were  equally  current  in  Poland,  and  vice 
versa,  and  Jews  perused  a  great  number  of  books, 
there  vv^as  always  a  lively  interchange  of  thoughts 
going  on  in  these  countries,  causing  some  Bohemian 
words  to  migrate  to  Poland,  and  Polish  words  back 
to  Bohemia.  These  books  printed  in  Slavic  countries 
were  received  with  open  hands  also  in  Germany,  and 
their  preponderance  over  similar  books  at  home  was 
so  great  that  the  foreign  corruption  affected  the  spoken 
language  of  the  German  Jews,  and  they  accepted  also 
a  number  of  Shivic  words  together  with  the  Semitic 
infection.  This  was  still  further  aided  by  the  many 
Polish  teachers  who,  in  the  seventeenth. and  eighteenth 


THE  JUDEO-GERMAN  LANGUAGE  17 

centuries,  were  almost  the  only  iustructors  of  Hebrew 
in  Germany. 1 

We  have,  then,  here  an  analogous  case  to  the  forma- 
tion of  Osmanli  out  of  the  Turkish,  and  Modern  Per- 
sian out  of  the  01(1  by  means  of  the  Arabic,  and  if  the 
word  Jargon  is  used  to  describe  the  condition  of  Judeo- 
German  in  the  past  tliree  centuries,  then  Gibberish 
would  be  the  only  word  that  would  fit  as  a  designa- 
tion of  the  corresponding  compounds  of  the  beautiful 
languages  of  Turkey,  Persia,  and  India.  A  Jargon  is 
the  chaotic  state  of  a  speech-mixture  at  the  moment 
when  the  foreign  elements  first  enter  into  it.  That 
mixture  can  never  be  entirely  arbitrary,  for  it  is  sub- 
ject to  the  spirit  of  one  fundamental  language  which 
does  not  lose  its  identity.  All  the  Romance  elements 
in  English  have  not  stifled  its  Germanic  basis,  and 
Hindustani  is  neither  Persian  nor  Arabic,  in  spite  of 
the  overwhelming  foreign  element  in  it,  but  an  Indian 
language.  Similarly  Judeo-German  has  remained  essen- 
tially a  German  dialect  group. 

Had  the  Judeo-German  had  for  its  basis  some  dialect 
which  widely  differs  from  the  literary  norm,  such  as 
Low  German  or  Swiss,  it  would  have  long  ago  been 
claimed  as  a  precious  survival  by  German  philologists. 
But  it  happens  to  follow  so  closely  the  structure  of 
High  German  that  its  deviations  have  struck  the  super- 
ficial observer  as  a  kind  of  careless  corruption  of  the 
German.  A  closer  scrutiny,  however,  convinces  one 
that  in  its  many  dialectic  variations  it  closely  follows 
the  High  German  dialects  of  the  ]\liddle  Rhine  with 
Frankfurt  for  its  centre.     There  is  not  a  peculiarity 

1  Cf.  Zunz,  Die  gottesdienstUchen  Vortriige  der  Juden,  hist07'isch 
entidckelt,  Frankfurt  a.  M.,  1892,  pp.  452-4G3,  and  Giidemann,  as 
above. 


18  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

in  its  gramiijatical  forms,  in  the  changes  of  its  vocal- 
ism,  for  which  exact  parallels  are  not  found  within  a 
small  radius  of  the  old  imperial  city,  the  great  centre 
of  Jewish  learning  and  life  in  the  Middle  Ages.  No 
doubt,  the  emigration  into  Russia  came  mainly  from 
the  region  of  the  Rhine.  At  any  rate  those  who  arrived 
from  there  brought  with  them  traditions  which  were 
laid  as  the  foundation  of  their  written  literature, 
whose  influence  has  been  very  great  on  the  Jews 
of  the  later  Middle  Ages.  While  men  received  their 
religious  literature  directly  through  the  Hebrew,  women 
could  get  their  ethical  instruction  only  by  means  of 
Judeo-German  books.  No  house  was  without  them, 
and  through  them  a  certain  contact  was  kept  up  witli 
the  literary  German  towards  which  the  authors  have 
never  ceased  to  lean.  In  the  meanwhile  the  language- 
could  not  remain  uniform  over  the  wide  extent  of  the 
Slavic  countries,  and  many  distinct  groups  have  devel- 
oped there.  The  various  subdialects  of  Poland  differ 
considerably  from  the  group  which  includes  the  north- 
west of  Russia,  while  they  resemble  somewhat  more 
closely  the  southern  variety.  But  nothing  of  that 
appears  in  the  printed  literature  previous  to  the  be- 
ginning of  this  century.  There  a  great  uniformity 
prevails,  and  by  giving  the  Hebrew  vowels,  or  the 
consonants  that  are  used  as  such,  the  values  that 
tliey  have  in  the  mouths  of  German  Jews,  we  obtain, 
in  fact,  what  appears  to  be  an  apocopated,  corrupted 
form  of  literary  German.  Tlie  spelling  has  remained 
more  or  less  traditional,  and  though  it  becomes  finally 
phonetic,  it  seems  to  ascribe  to  the  vowels  the  values 
nearest  to  those  of  the  mother-language  and  current 
in  certain  varieties  of  the  Lithuanian  group.  From 
this  it  may  be  assumed  that  the  Polish  and  southern 


THE   JUDEO-GERMAN   LANGUAGE  19 

Russian  varieties  have  developed  from  the  Lithuanian, 
which  probably  bears  some  relation  to  the  histori- 
cal migrations  into  those  parts  of  the  quondam  Polish 
kingdom,  and  this  is  made  the  more  plausible  from  the 
fact  that  the  vowel  changes  are  frequently  in  exact 
correspondence  with  the  changes  in  the  White  Rus- 
sian, Polish,  and  Little  Russian.  Such  a  jDhenomenon 
of  parallelism  is  found  also  in  other  languages,  and  in 
our  case  may  be  explained  by  the  unconscious  changes 
of  the  Germanic  vowels  simultaneously  with  those  in 
the  Slavic  words  which,  having  been  naturalized  in 
Judeo-German,  were  heard  and  used  differently  in  the 
new  surroundings. 

However  it  may  be,  the  language  of  the  Judeo- 
German  books  in  the  sixteenth,  seventeenth,  and  eigh- 
teenth centuries  is  subject  to  but  slight  variations. 
It  is  true,  the  Blitz  Bible  printed  in  Amsterdam  in 
1676  seems  to  deviate  greatly  from  other  similar  works, 
and  the  uncouth  compound  which  is  found  there  does, 
indeed,  have  all  appearances  of  a  Jargon.  It  owes 
its  origin  to  the  Polish  Jews  who  but  a  few  years  be- 
fore had  been  exiled  from  more  than  two  hundred  and 
fifty  towns  1  and  who,  having  settled  in  Holland,  began 
to  modify  their  Judeo-German  by  introducing  Dutch 
into  it.  Although  the  Bible  was  intended  for  Polish 
Jews,  as  is  evident  by  the  letters-patent  granted  by 
John  the  Third  of  Poland,  3^et  it  has  never  exerted 
any  influence  on  the  dialects  in  Russia  and  Poland, 
for  not  one  word  of  Dutch  origin  can  be  found  in 
them.  This  older  stage  of  the  language  is  even  now 
familiar   to   the    Russian  Jewish  women  through  the 

^  Cf.  M.  Steinschneider,  Die  itaJienische  Litteratur  der  Jriden,  in 
Monatschrift  far  Geschichte  xind  Wissenschaft  des  Judenthums,  Vol. 
XLII.  p.  74. 


20  YIDDISH  LITERATUKE 

'  Zeena  Ureena,'  the  prayer  book,  and  the  special  pray- 
ers which  they  recite  in  Judeo-German,  and  Jewish 
writers  have  recourse  to  it  whenever  they  wish  to 
express  a  prayer,  as,  for  example,  in  Abramowitsch's 
'  Hymns '  and  '  Saturday  Prayers. '  This  older  stage  is 
known  under  the  name  of  Iivre-teutsch^  Korben-ssider- 
teutsch,  ToMnes-teutsch,  thus  indicating  its  proper  sphere 
in  lithurgical  works.  This  form  of  the  language  is 
comparatively  free  from  Hebrew  words.^  On  the  other 
hand,  Cabbalistic  works  become  almost  unreadable  on 
account  of  the  prevalence  of  Semitic  over  German 
words. ^ 

In  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  century  a  Galician, 
Minchas  JNIendel  Lefin,  laid  the  foundation  for  the  use 
of  the  vernacular  for  literary  purposes.^  This  example 
was  soon  followed  by  the  writers  in  Russia  who  became 
acquainted  with  German  culture  through  the  followers 
of  the  Mendelssohnian  School  at  Lemberg,  who  com- 
prise nearly  all  the  authors  from  Ettinger  to  Abram- 

1  Naturally,  words  belonging  to  that  stage  of  the  language  have  sur- 
vived in  the  cheeder  (school),  where  the  melamed  (teacher)  is  fre- 
quently compelled  to  fall  back  on  the  old  commentaries  for  transla- 
tions. Abramowitsch  has,  in  his  Das  kleine  3Ienschele,  the  following 
passage  (p.  49)  bearing  upon  this  point:  "Die  Talmudtore  hat  mir 
auch  gegeben  a  Bissel  Deutsch  vun  die  Teutschworter  in  Chumesch, 
wie  a  Steiger  (for  example) :  wcaloto  un'  a  Nepel,  loesaadu  libchem 
un'  lehent  unter  euer  llarz,  jereechi  meiu  dich,  machftchof  entpleckt, 
&ooc/t?t  auf'n  Gemeesachz,  been  hamischpessoim  die  Geniiiv]s.en,  xoetcha- 
lelo  un'  du  hast  sie  verschwiicht,  kumniijos  hofferlich,  uchdome  noch 
asolche  Teutschen." 

2  An  example  of  this  style  is  given  by  Linetzki,  in  Das  chsidische 
Jiingel,  p.  32  :  "a  Steiger  wie  er  hat  mit  mir  geteutscht :  ischo  an  Ische, 
ki  sitmo  as  sie  wet  tome  weren,  wessakriw  un'  sie  wet  makriw  sein, 
korboii  a  Korben,  loehikriw  soil  makriw  sein,  hakoheii  der  Kohen, 
al  hamisbeach  zum  Misbeach,  beohel  moed  in'm  Ohel-moed." 

8  Cf.  A.  B.  Gottlober,  Sichrones  liber  zanjonische  Sehreiber,  in 
JM.  Volksbib.,  Vol.  I.  pp.  250-259. 


THE  JUDEO-GERMAN  LANGUAGE  21 

owitscli,  most  of  wliom  wrote  in  some  southern  dialect. 
Tlie  language  of  these  abounds  in  a  large  number  of 
idiomatic  expressions  for  which  one  would  in  vain 
look  in  the  older  writings ;  words  of  Slavic  origin 
that  were  familiar  in  ever3'day  life  were  freely  intro- 
duced, and  an  entirely  new  diction  superseded  that 
of  the  past  century.  At  first  their  spelling  was  quite 
phonetic.  But  soon  their  leaning  toAvards  German 
literature  led  them  into  the  unfortunate  mistake  of 
introducing  German  orthograph}'  for  their  dialect,  so 
that  it  now  is  frequently  impossible  to  tell  from  the 
form  of  a  word  how  it  may  have  been  pronounced.  Add 
to  this  the  historical  spelling  of  the  Hebrew  and  the 
phonetic  of  the  Slavic  words,  and  one  can  easily  imagine 
the  chaos  that  prevails  in  the  written  language.  And 
yet  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  Judeo-German  stands 
alone  in  this.  The  same  difficulty  and  confusion  arises 
in  all  those  tongues  in  which  the  historical  continuity 
has  been  broken.  Thus  Modern  Greek  is  spelled  as 
though  it  were  Ancient  Greek,  with  which  it  has  hardly 
any  resemblance  in  sound,  while  Bulgarian  is  still 
wavering  between  a  phonetic,  a  Russian,  and  an  Old 
Slavic  orthograj^hy.  Similar  causes  have  produced 
similar  results  in  Judeo-German. 

There  is  no  linguistic  norm  in  the  language  as  now 
used  for  literary  purposes.  The  greater  number  of 
the  best  authors  write  in  slightly  varying  dialects  of 
Volhynia ;  but  the  Lithuanian  variety  is  also  well 
represented,  and  of  late  Perez  has  begun  to  write  in  his 
Polish  vernacular.^  German  influence  began  to  show 
itself  earl}^  and  it  affected  not  only  the  spelling,  but 

1  On  the  various  dialects  and  stj-les,  see  Die  jiidische  Sprache,  in 
Hau.ffreund,  Vol.  V.  pp.  60-64 ;  cf .  also  Eabnizki,  Hehriiisch  un' 
Jildisch,  in  Hausfreund,  Vol.  V.  pp.  38-48. 


22  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

also  the  vocabulaiy  of  the  early  writers  in  Lithuania. 
Dick  looked  upon  Judeo-German  only  as  a  means  to 
lead  his  people  to  German  culture,  and  his  stories  are 
written  in  a  curious  mixture  in  which  German  at 
times  predominates.  This  evil  practice,  which  in  Dick 
may  be  excused  on  the  ground  that  it  served  him  only 
as  a  means  to  an  end,  has  come  to  be  a  mannerism  in 
writers  of  the  lower  kind,  such  as  Schaikewitsch,  Seif- 
fert,  and  their  like.  The  scribblers  of  that  class  have 
not  only  corrupted  the  literature  but  also  the  language 
of  the  Jews. 

Various  means  have  been  suggested  by  the  writers 
for  the  enrichment  of  the  Judeo-German  vocabulary. 
Some  lovers  of  Hebrew  have  had  the  bad  taste  to  propose 
the  formation  of  all  new  words  on  a  Semitic  basis,  and 
have  actually  brought  forth  literary  productions  in  that 
hybrid  language.  Others  again  have  advised  the  intro- 
duction of  all  foreign  words  commonly  in  use  among 
other  nations.  But  the  classical  writers,  among  whom 
Abramowitsch  is  foremost,  have  not  stopped  to  consider 
what  would  be  the  best  expedient,  but  have  coined 
words  in  conformity  with  the  spirit  of  their  dialect, 
steering  a  middle  course  between  the  extremes  sug- 
gested by  others.  In  America,  where  the  majority  of 
the  writers  knew  more  of  German  than  their  native  ver- 
nacular, the  literary  dialect  has  come  to  resemble  the 
literary  German,  and  the  English  environment  has 
caused  the  infusion  of  a  number  of  English  terms  for 
familiar  objects.  But  on  the  whole  the  language  of  the 
better  writers  differs  in  America  but  little  from  that  of 
their  former  home.  There  is,  naturally,  a  large  diver- 
gence to  be  found  in  the  language,  which  ranges  from 
the  almost  pure  German  of  the  prayers  and,  in  modern 
times,  of  the  poems  of  Winchevsky,  to  the  language 


THE  JUDEO-GERMAN  LANGUAGE         23 

abounding  in  Russicisms  of  Dlugatsch,  and  in  Hebraisms 
of  Linetzki,  from  the  pure  dialects  of  the  best  writers  to 
the  corrupt  forms  of  Dick  and  Meisach,  and  the  even 
worse  Jargon  of  Seiffert,  but  in  all  these  there  is  no 
greater  variety  than  is  to  be  found  in  all  newly  formed 
languages.^  The  most  recent  example  of  such  variety 
is  furnished  by  the  Bulgarian,  where  the  writers  of  the 
last  fifty  years  have  wavered  between  the  native  dialects 
with  their  large  elements  of  Turkish  and  Greek  origin,  a 
purified  form  of  the  same,  from  which  the  foreign  infec- 
tion has  been  eliminated,  approaches  to  the  Old  Slavic 
of  a  thousand  years  ago,  and,  within  the  last  few  years, 
a  curious  mixture  with,  the  literary  Russian.  Judeo- 
German  not  only  does  not  suffer  by  such  a  comparison, 
but  really  gains  by  it,  for  all  the  best  writers  have  uni- 
formly based  their  diction  on  their  native  dialects. 

In  former  days  Judeo-German  was  known  only  by  the 
name  of  Iivre-teutsch,  or  JudiscJi-teutsch.  Frequent!}^ 
such  words  were  used  as  Mame-loschen  (]Mother-tongue), 
or  Prost-jildisch  (Simple  Yiddish),  but  through  the  ef- 
forts of  the  disciples  of  the  Haskala  (Reform),  the  des- 
ignation of  Jargon  has  been  forced  upon  it ;  and  that 
appellation  has  been  adopted  by  later  writers  in  Russia, 
so  that  now  one  generally  finds  only  this  latter  form  as 
the  name  of  the  language  used  by  the  writers  in  Russia. 
The  people,  however,  speak  of  their  vernacular  as  Jii- 
diseh,  and  this  has  given  rise  in  England  and  America 
to  the  word  Yiddish  for  both  the  spoken  and  written 
form.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  originally  the 
name  had  been  merely  Teutscli  for  the  language  of  the 
Jews,  for  they  were    conscious    of   their  participation 

1  An  excellent  satire  on  the  widely  different  styles  of  Judeo-German 
in  vogue  by  their  writers  is  given  by  S.  Eabinowitsch,  in  his  Kol- 
mewasser  (q.v.),  under  the  title  of  Korrespondenzies  (cols.  26-31). 


24  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

with  the  Germans  in  a  common  inheritance.  Reminis- 
cences of  that  old  designation  are  left  in  such  words  as 
verteutseheti,  'to  translate,'  i.e.  to  do  into  German,  and 
steutseh,  'how  do  you  mean  it?'  contracted  from  is 
teutsch  ?  '  how  is  that  in  German  ?  ' 

The  main  differences  between  Jndeo-German^  and 
the  mother-tongue  are  these  :  its  vocalism  has  under- 
gone considerable  change,  varying  from  locality  to  lo- 
cality ;  the  German  unaccented  final  e  has,  as  in  other 
dialects  of  German,  disappeared  ;  in  declensional  forms, 
the  genitive  has  almost  entirely  disappeared,  while  in 
the  Lithuanian  group  the  dative  has  also  coincided 
with  the  accusative  ;  in  the  verb,  Judeo-German  has  lost 
almost  entirely  the  imperfect  tense ;  the  order  of  words 
is  more  like  the  English  than  the  German.  These  are 
all  developments  for  which  parallels  can  be  adduced 
from  the  region  of  Frankfurt.  Judeo-German  is,  con- 
sequently, not  an  anomaly,  but  a  natural  development. 

1  For  a  complete  discussion  of  the  subject,  see  L.  Saineanu,  Studiu 
dialcctologic  asupra  graiului  evreo-german,  Bucuresti,  1889,  Bvo,  78  pp. 


III.     FOLKLORE 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  Jews  were  the  most 
potent  factors  in  the  dissemination  of  folk-literature 
in  the  Middle  Ages.^  Various  causes  united  to  make 
them  the  natural  carriers  of  folklore  from  the  East 
to  the  West,  and  from  the  West  back  again  to  the 
East.  They  never  became  so  completely  localized  as  to 
break  away  from  the  community  of  their  brethren  in 
distant  lands,  and  to  develop  distinct  national  charac- 
teristics. The  Jews  of  Spain  stood  in  direct  relations 
w^ith  the  Khazars  of  Russia,  and  it  was  a  Jew  whom 
Charlemagne  sent  as  ambassador  to  Bagdad.  The  Jew- 
ish merchant  did  not  limit  his  sphere  of  action  by  geo- 
graphical lines  of  demarkation,  and  the  Jewish  scholar 
was  as  much  at  home  in  Italy  and  Germany  as  he  was 
in  Russia  or  Egypt.  Again  and  again,  in  reading  the 
biographies  of  Jewish  worthies,  we  are  confronted  with 
men  who  have  had  their  temporary  homes  in  three  con- 
tinents. In  fact,  the  stay-at-homes  were  the  exception 
rather  than  the  rule  in  the  INIiddle  Ages.  In  this  man- 
ner not  only  a  lively  intercourse  was  kept  up  among  the 
Jews  of  the  diaspora,  but  they  unwittingly  became  also 
the  mediators  of  tlie  intellectual  life  of  the  most  remote 
lands :  they  not  only  enriched  the  literatures  of  the 
various  nations  by  new  kinds  of  compositions,  but  also 
brought  with  them  the  substratum  of  that  intellectual 

1  Read,  on  this  subject,  Joseph  Jacobs,  Jewish  Diffusion  of  Folk 
Tales,  in  Jewish  Ideals  and  Other  Essays,  London,  1896,  pp.  135-161. 

25 


26  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

life  wliicli  finds  its  expression  in  the  creations  of  the 
popular  literature. 

The  Jews  have  always  possessed  an  innate  love  for 
story  telling  which  was  only  sharpened  by  their  travels. 
The  religious  and  semi-religious  stories  were  far  from 
sufficient  to  satisfy  their  curiosity,  and  in  spite  of  the 
discussions  by  the  Rabbis  of  the  permissibility  of  read- 
ing foreign  books  of  adventure,  they  proceeded  to  create 
and  multiply  an  apocryphal  and  profane  folk-literature 
which  baffles  the  investigator  with  its  variety.  Most 
addicted  to  these  stories  were  the  women,  who  received 
but  little  learning  in  the  language  of  their  religious 
lore,  and  who  knew  just  enough  of  their  Hebrew  char- 
acters to  read  in  the  vernacular  books  specially  prepared 
for  them.  Times  changed,  and  the  education  of  the 
men  varied  with  the  progress  of  the  Hebrew  and  the 
native  literatures;  but  the  times  hardly  made  an  im- 
pression on  the  female  sex.  The  same  minimum  of 
ethical  instruction  was  given  them  in  the  eighteenth 
century  that  they  had  received  in  the  fourteenth,  and 
they  were  left  to  shift  for  themselves  in  the  selection  of 
their  profane  reading  matter.  The  men  who  conde- 
scended to  write  stories  for  them  had  no  special  inter- 
est to  direct  the  taste  of  their  public,  and  preferred  to 
supply  the  demand  rather  than  create  it ;  nor  did  the 
publishers  have  any  more  urgent  reason  why  they 
should  trouble  themselves  about  the  production  of  new 
works  as  long  as  the  old  ones  satisfied  the  women. 
Consequently,  although  now  and  then  a  '  new '  story 
book  saw  daylight,  the  old  ones  were  just  as  eagerly 
received  by  the  feminine  readers.  And  thus  it  happens 
that  what  was  read  with  pleasure  at  its  first  appearance 
is  accepted  as  eagerly  to-day,  and  the  books  that  were 
issued  from  the  printing  presses  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 


FOLKLORE  27 

tiiry  may  be  found  in  almost  unchanged  hundredth 
editions,  except  as  to  the  language,  printed  in  1898  in 
Wilna  or  Warsaw. 

Time  and  space  are  entirely  annihilated  in  the  folk- 
lore of  the  Russian  Jews.  Here  one  finds  side  by  side 
the  quaint  stories  of  the  Talmud  of  Babylonian,  Persian, 
Egyptian  origin,  with  the  Polyphemus  myth  of  the 
Greeks,  the  English  '  Bevys  of  Hamptoun,'  the  Arabic 
'Thousand  and  One  Nights.'  Stories  in  which  half  a 
dozen  motives  from  various  separate  tales  have  been 
moulded  into  one  harmonious  whole  jostle  with  those 
that  show  unmistakable  signs  of  venerable  antiquity. 
Nowhere  else  can  such  a  variety  of  tales  be  found  as  in 
Judeo-German  ;  nor  is  there  any  need,  as  in  other  liter- 
atures, to  have  recourse  to  collections  of  the  diligent 
searcher  ;  one  will  find  hundreds  of  them,  nay  thou- 
sands, told  without  any  conscious  purpose  in  the  chap- 
books  that  are  annually  issued  at  Wilna,  Lemberg, 
Lublin,  and  other  places.  Add  to  these  the  many 
unwritten  tales  that  involve  the  superstitions  and  be- 
liefs of  a  more  local  character,  in  which  the  Slavic 
element  has  been  superadded  to  the  Germanic  base,  and 
the  wealth  of  this  long-neglected  literature  will  at  once 
become  apparent  to  the  most  superficial  observer.^ 

1  The  following  books  and  essays  treat  on  Judeo-German  folklore 
in  general :  Herman  Lotze,  Znr  jUdisch-dentschen  Litteratur,  in 
Gosche's  Archiv  fur  LitteraUirgeschichte,  Vol.  I.,  Leipsic,  1870,  pp. 
90-101;  M.  Steinschneider,  fjher  die  Volkslitteratur  der  Jxiden,  ibid., 
Vol.  II.  pp.  1-21 ;  S.  Gelbhaus,  Mittelhochdentsche  Dichtung  in  ihrer 
Beziehung  zur  hihlisch-rahhinischen  Litteratur,  Frankfurt  a.  M.,  1893, 
IV.  Heft,  pp.  59  ff. ;  Briill,  Beitrdge  zur  jUdischen  Sagen-  icnd  Sprach- 
kunde  im  Mittelalter,  in  JahrbUrher  fur  judische  Geschichte  und  Lit- 
teratur, IX.  Jahrgang,  Frankfurt  a.  M.,  1889,  pp.  1-71  ;  J.  Jacobs, 
Jeioish  Diffusion  of  Folk  Tales,  a  paper  read  before  the  Jews'  College 
Literary  Society,  in  The  Jeioish  Chronicle,  London,  June  1,  1888  (also 
published  separately  in  Jewish  Ideals  and  Other  Essays,  as  above); 


28  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

These  stories  have  dominated  and  still  dominate  the 
minds  of  the  women  and  children  among  the  Russian, 
Roumanian,  and  Galician  Jews.  For  them  there  exists 
a  whole  fantastic  world,  with  its  objects  of  fear  and 
admiration.  There  is  not  an  act  they  perform  that  is 
not  followed  by  endless  superstitious  rites,  in  which  the 
beliefs  of  Chaldea  are  inextricably  mixed  with  French, 
Germanic,  or  Slavic  ceremonies.  To  pierce  the  dense 
cloud  of  superstition  that  has  involved  the  j\Iosaic  Law, 
to  disentangle  the  ancient  religion  from  the  rank  growth 
of  the  ages,  to  open  the  eyes  of  the  Jews  to  the  realities 
of  this  world,  and  to  break  down  the  timeless  and  space- 
less sphere  of  their  imaginings  —  that  has  been  the  task 
of  the  followers  of  the  Mendelssohnian  Reform  for  the 
last  one  hundred  years.  In  the  pages  of  the  Judeo- 
German  works  that  they  have  produced  to  take  the 
place  of  the  story  books  of  long  ago,  one  meets  continu- 
ally with  lists  of  superstitions  that  they  are  laboring  to 
combat,  with  the  names  of  books  that  they  would  fain 
put  in  an  index  expurgatorius. 

M.  Gaster,  Jeivish  Folk  Lore  in  the  Middle  Ages,  in  papers  read  before 
the  Jews'  College  Literary  Society  during  the  Session  1886-87,  London, 
1887,  pp.  39-51  (also  published  separately  by  The  Jeioish  Chronicle^ 
1887,  8vo);  G.  Levi,  Christiani  ed  Ehrei  nel  Iledio  Eva,  Qtiadro  di 
costumi  con  un  appendice  di  recordi  e  leggende  gitidaiche  della  mede- 
sima  epodia,  Florence,  1866,  16mo  (pp.  307-406);  A.  M.  Tcndlau,  Das 
Buch  der  Sagen  xind  Legenden  jUdischer  Vorzeit  (2te  Auflage),  Stutt- 
gart, 1845,  8vo,  335  pp. ;  the  same,  Fellmeiers  Abends,  Mdhrchen  und 
Geschichten  aus  grauer  Vorzeit,  Frankfurt  a.  M.,  1856,  16aio,  290  pp.; 
Israel  L^vi,  Contes  jitifs,  in  Jievue  des  J^tndes  Jtiives,  Vol.  XI.  pp.  209- 
234;  Is.  Loeb,  Le  folklore  juif  dans  la  chronique  du  Schebet  Jehiida 
d'Ibn  Verga,  in  Bevue  des  J^tndes  Juives,  Vol.  XXIV.  pp.  1-29.  For 
general  ethnographic  sketches  of  the  Russian  Jews,  containing  a  great 
deal  of  material  of  a  folklore  nature,  see  Sistcmatii^eskij  ukazateV 
literatury  o  evrejach  na  riisskom  jazyke  so  vremeni  vvedenija  grazdan- 
skago  srifta  {170S  g.)  po  dekabr'  1SS9  g.,  St.  Petersburg,  1893,  Part  V. 
pp.  198-204  and  206-207  ;  of  the  works  mentioned  there,  Nos.  2831 
and  2912  are  especially  important. 


FOLKLORE  29 

It  is  not  difficult  to  discern  a  number  of  distinct 
strata  in  the  many  folk-tales  that  are  current  now,  even 
though  the  motives  from  various  periods  may  be  found 
hopelessly  intertwined  in  one  and  the  same  story.  The 
oldest  of  these  may  be  conveniently  called  the  Talmudi- 
cal  substratum,  as  in  those  older  writings  the  prototypes 
of  them  can  be  found.  Of  course,  these  in  their  turn  are 
of  a  composite  nature  themselves,  but  that  need  not  dis- 
concert us  in  our  present  investigation  as  long  as  the 
resemblance  is  greater  to  the  stories  in  the  Talmud  than 
to  the  originals  from  which  that  collection  has  itself 
drawn  its  information.  There  is  a  large  variety  of  sub- 
jects that  must  be  classified  in  that  category.  Here 
belong  a  number  of  animal  fables,  of  stories  of  strange 
beasts,  much  imaginary  geography,  but  especially  a  vast 
number  of  apocryphal  Bible  stories.^     One  of  the  most 

1  For  stories  of  that  period,  cf .  A.  S.  Isaacs,  Stoiies  from  the 
Babbis,  London,  Osgood  (and  New  York,  Webster),  1893,  8vo,  202  pp.; 
M.  Gaster,  Beitrllge  zitr  vergleichenden  Sagen-  unci  Marchenkunde, 
Bukarest,  1883,  8vo.  Dr.  B.  Konigsberger,  Axes  dem  Beiche  der 
altjUdischen  Fabel,  in  Zeitschrift  des  Vereins  filr  VolksTcunde,  Vol.  VI., 
1896,  pp.  14;0-161 ;  F.  Baethgen,  Salomo  in  der  jUdischen  Sage,  in 
Allgemeine  Zeitung,  Nos.  151,  152,  181,  182  (Beilage).  Other  shorter 
articles  on  the  same  subject  will  be  found  in  the  Urquell,  Vol.  II. 
p.  209  ;  Vol.  IV.  p.  76  ;  Neue  Folge,  Vol.  I.  pp.  13,  14  ;  Z.  d.  V.  f.  V., 
Vol.  IV.  p.  209;  J.  Trubnik,  Talnutdische  Legenden,  in  Jl'id.  Volksbib., 
Vol.  I.  pp.  264-279.  Of  special  interest  are  the  discussions  of  Tal- 
mudical  legends  and  fables  with  their  western  developments  or  imita- 
tions, by  L.  Dukes,  Ubersicht  der  neuhebrdischen  Literatiir  iveltUchen 
Inhalts  in  Prosa  nnd  Versen,  in  Israel itische  Annalen  (edited  by  Jost), 
1839,  No.  13,  pp.  100  ff. ;  No.  17,  pp.  131  ff. ;  No.  25,  pp.  196  ff. ;  No.  31, 
pp.  244;  No.  52,  pp.  415  ff.  Eisenmenger's  Entdecktes  Judenthum, 
Konigsberg,  1711  (or  Dresden,  1893),  in  spite  of  its  bias,  may  be  con- 
sulted for  the  legends ;  better  than  that  is  the  English  form  of  the 
same,  77ie  Tradition  of  the  Jews;  or,  The  Doctrine  of  Expositions 
Contained  in  the  Talmud,  etc.,  London,  8vo,  (64)  and  337  and  363  pp., 
the  appendix  of  which  has  a  Translation,  by  Way  of  Abridgement,  of 
Buxtorf  s  Latin  Account  of  the  Beligious  Customs  and  Ceremonies  of 


30  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

interesting  series  of  that  class  is  the  one  that  comprises 
tales  of  the  river  Samhation.^  This  river  has  rarely 
been  discovered  by  poor  mortals,  although  it  has  been 
the  object  of  their  lifelong  quest.  During  the  week  it 
throws  large  rocks  heavenwards,  and  the  noise  of  the 
roaring  waters  is  deafening.  On  the  Sabbath  the  river 
rests  from  its  turmoil,  to  resume  again  its  activity  at  its 
expiration.  Behind  the  Sambation  lives  the  tribe  of  the 
Red  Jews. 

The  best  story  of  that  cycle  is  told  by  Meisach.  An 
inquisitive  tailor  sets  out  in  search  of  the  Sambation 
River.  Of  all  the  Jews  that  he  meets  he  inquires 
the  direction  that  he  is  to  take  thitherward;  and  he 
makes  public  announcements  of  his  urgent  business  at 
all  the  synagogues  that  he  visits.  But  all  in  vain. 
Three  times  he  has  already  traversed  the  length  and 
the  breadth  of  this  earth,  but  never  did  he  get  nearer 
his  destination.  Undaunted,  he  starts  out  once  more 
to  reach  the  tribe  of  the  Red  Jews.  Suddenly  he 
arrives  near  that  awful  river.  Overwhelmed  by  its 
din,  terrified   at  its   eruptions,  he  falls  down  on  the 

the  Jews  (Vol.  II.  pp.  225-363).  See  also  G.  G.  Bredow,  Babhinische 
Mythen,  Erzdhlungen  unci  Lllgen,  nehst  zioei  Balladen  der  christli- 
chen  Mythologie  im  Mittelalter  (2te  Auflage),  Weilburg,  1833,  16mo, 
136  pp.;  also  C.  Krafft,  JMische  Sagen  und  Dichtmigen  nach  den 
Talmuden  und  Midraschen,  nehst  einigen  Makamen  aus  dein  Divan 
des  Alcharisi,  Ansbach,  1839,  16mo,  212  pp. 

1  The  Sambation  is  mentioned  in  Eldad  ha-Dani  ans  dein  Stnmme 
Dan;  see  for  this  Steinschneider's  JMisch-deutsche  Litterat7ir,  in 
Serapeum,  Vol.  IX.  (1848),  p.  319,  No.  13.  See  also  JMische  Litte- 
ratur,  by  Steinschneider,  in  Ersch  und  Grubcr,  §  X,  A.  2.  Other 
essays  and  stories  are  :  D.  Kaufmann's  Le  Sambation,  in  Revue  des 
liludes  Juives,  Vol.  XXII.  pp.  285-287,  and  Der  Sambation,  eine  ety- 
mologische  Sage,  in  AUgemcine  Zeitung  des  Judenthums,  1893,  May 
20,  p.  247  ;  Meisach,  Sambation,  in  Jud.  Volksblatt,  Vol.  VIII.  (Bei- 
lage),  p.  53,  and  (the  same  story)  in  his  Nissim  %oc-Nifloes,  q.v. 


FOLKLORE  31 

ground  and  prays  to  the  all-merciful  God.  It  hap- 
pened to  be  a  few  minutes  before  the  time  that  the 
river  was  to  go  to  rest.  The  clock  strikes,  and,  as  if 
by  magic,  the  scene  is  changed.  The  tailor  finds  a 
ford,  passes  on  the  other  side,  and,  exhausted  from  his 
wandering,  he  lies  down  to  sleep  in  the  grass.  The 
tribe  of  men  that  live  there  are  a  race  of  giants.  One 
of  them,  noticing  the  intruder,  takes  him  to  be  a  new 
species  of  a  grasshopper,  picks  him  up,  and  slips  him 
in  his  spacious  coat  pocket.  He  proceeds  to  the  bath- 
house to  take  his  ablution,  and  thence  to  the  synagogue, 
leaving  the  tailor  all  the  while  in  his  j)ocket.  The  giants 
begin  to  pray.  At  the  end,  while  a  pause  ensues,  the 
pious  tailor  unconsciously  exclaims  '  Amen  ! '  Aston- 
ished to  hear  that  mysterious  voice,  the  giant  brings 
the  tailor  to  light  and  showers  many  signs  of  respect 
upon  him,  for  even  the  giants  know  how  to  honor  a 
pious  man.  The  tailor  liked  it  there  so  much  that  he 
never  returned  to  his  native  home. 

Abramowitsch  has  made  fine  use  of  this  story  in  his 
Jewish  'Don  Quixote.'  The  hero  of  that  novel  has  so 
long  pondered  about  the  Sambation  River  and  the  mys- 
terious race  of  men  that  live  beyond  it,  that  he  loses  his 
reason,  and  starts  out  to  find  them.  But  he  does  not 
get  beyond  Berdichev.  Another  very  fruitful  class  of 
stories  belonging  to  that  category  is  the  one  in  which 
the  prophet  Elijah  plays  an  important  part.^  Accord- 
ing to  the  popular  belief,  Elijah  did  not  die ;  he  even 

1  In  A.  S.  Isaac's  St07'ies  from  the  liabbis  (see  above),  there  is  a 
chapter  on  Elijah  in  the  Legends  (pp.  92-103).  Other  stories  of 
Elijah :  D.  Cassel,  Elia  in  der  Legende,  in  Allgemeine  Zeitung  des 
Judenthums,  1892,  Feb.  26,  p.  104,  and  March  6,  p.  115;  Urquell, 
Vol.  IV.  pp.  11-14,  42-45,  120,  121  ;  Z.  d.  V.  f.  V.,  Vol.  IV.  p.  209. 
An  older  story  is  mentioned  in  Steinschneider's  Catalogue,  Serapeum, 
Vol.  IX.  (1848),  p.  384,  No.  174.    See  also  B.  W.  Segel,  Materyaiy 


32  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

now  frequently  comes  to  visit  men,  to  help  them  in 
some  dire  necessity.  His  presence  is  surmised  only 
when  he  has  disappeared,  generally  leaving  behind  him 
a  vapory  cloud.  So  rooted  is  this  belief  in  the  visita- 
tion of  Elijah,  that  during  the  ceremony  of  the  circum- 
cision a  chair  is  left  unoccupied  for  the  good  prophet. 
Elijah  is  not  the  only  one  that  may  be  seen  nowadays. 
Moses  and  David  occasionally  leave  their  heavenly 
abodes  to  aid  their  devotees  or  to  exhort  those  that 
are  about  to  depart  from  the  road  of  righteousness. 
King  David  presides  over  the  repast  at  the  conclusion 
of  the  Sabbath,  for  it  is  then  that  a  song  in  which  his 
name  is  mentioned  is  recited.  There  are  some  who 
regard  it  as  a  devout  act  to  celebrate  that  occasion 
with  unswerving  accuracy.  To  those  who  have  made 
the  vow  of  '  Mlawe-Malke,'  as  the  repast  is  called.  King 
David  is  wont  to  appear  when  the}^  are  particularly 
unfortunate.  Unlike  Elijah,  he  makes  his  presence 
known  by  his  company  of  courtiers  and  musicians, 
and  he  himself  holds  a  harp  in  his  hands ;  and  unlike 
him,  he  resorts  to  supernatural  means  to  aid  his 
proteges. 

]\Iost  of  the  medieval  legends  cluster  around  the  Rab- 
bis of  Central  Europe  wlio  have  in  one  way  or  another 
become  famous.  The  cities  of  Amsterdam,  Frankfurt, 
Worms,  Prague,  Cracow,  have  all  their  special  circle  of 
wonderful  tales  about  the  supernatural  powers  of  the 
worthies  of  long  ago.  But  the  king  of  that  cycle  of 
miracle  workers  is  Rambam,  as  Maimonides  is  called.^ 

do  etnografii  zydoio  wschodnio-galicyjskich,  in  Zbiur  wiadomosci  do 
antropoUxjli  krajoioej,  Cracow,  Vol.  XVII.  pp.  290-298. 

1  Stories  of  Maimonides  are  contained  in  Maascbuch  (or,  rather  in 
addition  Maase  Adonai),  according  to  Steinschneidcr,  Scrapeum, 
Vol.  XXVII.  (1866),  p.  5,  No.  7.     For  other  stones,  see  Bibliography. 


FOLKLORE  33 

His  profound  learning  and  great  piety,  his  renoAvned 
art  of  medicine,  his  extensive  travels,  have  naturally- 
lent  themselves  to  imaginative  transformations.  He 
has  undergone  the  same  transmogrification  that  befell 
Vergil.  Like  the  latter,  he  is  no  longer  the  great 
scholar  and  physician,  but  a  wizard  who  knows  the 
liidden  properties  of  plants  and  stones,  who  by  will 
l^ower  can  transfer  himself  in  space,  and  who  can  read 
dreams  and  reveal  their  future  significance.  His 
whole  life  was  semi-miraculous.  When  he  had  arrived 
at  the  proper  age  to  enter  an  academy  of  medicine,  he 
applied  to  a  school  where  only  deaf-mutes  were  ac- 
cepted as  disciples  of  vEsculapius.  This  precaution  was 
necessary,  lest  the  secrets  of  the  art  be  disseminated,  to 
the  disadvantage  of  the  craft.  Rambam  pretended  to 
have  neither  hearing  nor  speech.  His  progress  was  re- 
markable, and  in  a  short  time  he  surpassed  his  teachers 
in  the  delicate  art  of  surgery.  Once  there  came  to  the 
school  a  man  who  asked  to  be  cured  of  a  worm  that  was 
gnawing  at  his  brain.  The  learned  doctors  held  a  con- 
sultation, and  resolved  to  trepan  the  skull  and  extract 
the  worm.  This  was  at  once  executed,  and  Rambam 
was  given  permission  to  be  present  at  the  operation. 
With  trembling  and  fear  he  perceived  the  mistake  of 
his  teachers  and  colleagues,  for  he  knew  full  well  that 
the  man  would  have  to  die  as  soon  as  the  seventh  mem- 
brane under  the  dura  mater  was  cut  away.  With 
bated  breath,  he  stood  the  pang  of  anxiety  until  the 
sixth  covering  had  been  removed.  Already  the  doc- 
tors were  applying  the  lancet  to  the  seventh,  when 
his  patience  and  caution  gave  way,  and  he  exclaimed, 
'  Stop  ;  you  are  killing  him  ! '  His  surprised  colleagues 
promised  to  forgive  liis  deceit  if  he  would  extract  the 
worm  without  injury  to  the  membrane.     This  Rambam 


34  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

carried  out  in  a  very  simple  manner.  He  placed  a 
cabbage  leaf  on  the  small  opening  in  the  seventh  cover- 
ing, and  the  worm,  attracted  by  the  odor  of  the  leaf, 
came  out  to  taste  of  the  fresli  food,  whereupon  it  was 
ousted.^ 

Of  such  a  character  are  nearly  all  of  his  cures.  The 
supernatural  element  of  the  later  period,  where  every- 
thing is  fantastic,  is  still  absent  from  the  Rabbi  le- 
gends. There  is  always  an  attempt  made  to  combine  the 
wonderful  with  the  real,  or  rather  to  transfer  the  real 
into  the  realm  of  the  miraculous.  The  later  stories  of 
miracle-Avorking  pursue  the  opposite  course  :  they  en- 
graft the  most  extraordinary  impossibilities  on  the  ex- 
periences of  everyday  life.  Rambam's  travels  have  also 
given  rise  to  a  large  number  of  semi-mythical  journeys. 
One  of  the  legends  tells  of  his  sojourn  in  Algiers,  where 
he  incurred  the  hatred  of  the  Mussulmans  for  having 
decided  that  an  oil-vat  had  become  impure  because  a 
Mohammedan  had  touched  it,  whereas  another  vat  into 
which  a  weed  had  fallen  was  pronounced  by  him  to  be 
ritually  pure.  Knowing  that  his  life  was  in  danger,  he 
escaped  to  Egypt,  making  the  voyage  in  less  than  half 
an  hour  by  means  of  a  miraculous  document  that  he 
took  with  him  and  that  had  the  power  of  destroying 
space.  In  Cairo  he  became  the  chief  adviser  of  the 
king,  and  he  later  managed  to  save  the  country  from 
the  visitation  of  the  Algerian  minister,  who  had  come 
there  ostensibly  to  pursue  the  fugitive  Rambam,  but  in 
reality  to  lay  Egypt  waste  by  his  magical  arts. 

The  most  interesting  stories  that  still  belong  to  that 

cycle  are  those  that  have  developed  in  Slavic  countries. 

Out  of  the  large  material  that  was  furnished  them  by 

the  German  cities,  in  conjunction  with  the  new  matter 

1  Nearly  the  saine  story  is  in  Caster's  Jewish  Folk  Lore,  etc. 


FOLKLORE  35 

with  which  they  became  familiar  in  their  new  homes, 
they  have  mouhled  many  new  stories  in  endless  variety. 
The  number  of  local  legends  is  unlimited.  There  is 
hardly  an  inn  on  the  highways  and  byways  of  Western 
Russia  and  Galicia  that  has  not  its  own  circle  of  won- 
derful tales.  Every  town  possesses  its  remarkable 
Rabbi  whose  memory  lives  in  the  deeds  that  he  is 
supposed  to  have  performed.  But  none,  except  the 
town  of  Mesiboz,  the  birthplace  of  Bal-schem-tow,  the 
founder  of  the  sect  of  the  Khassidim,  can  boast  of  such  a 
complete  set  of  legendary  tales  as  the  cities  of  Wilna 
and  Cracow.  In  Wilna  they  will  still  tell  the  curi- 
ous stranger  many  reminiscences  of  those  glorious  days 
when  their  Rabbis  could  arrest  the  workings  of  natural 
laws,  and  when  their  sentence  was  binding  on  ghosts  as 
well  as  men.  They  will  take  him  to  the  synagogue  and 
show  him  a  large  dark  spot  in  the  cupola,  and  they  will 
tell  him  that  during  an  insurrection  a  cannon-ball  struck 
the  building,  and  that  it  would  have  proceeded  on  its 
murderous  journey  but  for  the  command  of  the  Rabbi 
to  be  lodged  in  the  wall.  They  will  take  him  to  a 
street  where  the  spooks  used  to  contend  with  humankind 
for  the  possession  of  the  houses  in  which  they  lived  :  — 
the  contention  was  finally  referred  to  the  Gaon  of  Wilna. 
After  careful  inquiry  into  the  justice  of  the  contending 
parties  he  gave  his  decision,  which  is  worthy  of  the  wis- 
dom of  Solomon  :  he  adjudicated  the  upper  parts  of  the 
houses,  as  much  of  them  as  there  was  above  ground,  to 
the  mortals,  while  the  cellars  and  other  underground 
structures  were  left  in  perpetuity  to  the  shadowy  in- 
habitants of  the  lower  regions.^  One  of  the  Gaons  at 
Wilna  was  possessed  of  the  miraculous  power  to  create 

1  A  similar  story,  also  of  a  local  character,  is  told  by  Dick  in 
Alte  jMische  Sagen  oder  Ssipurim,  p.  42,  where  he  mentions  a  Polish 


36  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

a  Golem,  a  homimculus.  It  was  a  vivified  clay  man 
who  had  to  do  the  bidding  of  him  who  had  given  him 
temporary  life.  Whenever  his  mission  was  fulfilled 
he  was  turned  back  into  an  unrecognizable  mass  of 
clay.i 

A  special  class  of  legends  that  have  been  evolved  in 
Slavic  countries  are  those  that  tell  of  the  Lamed-wow- 
niks.  According  to  an  old  belief  the  world  is  supported 
by  the  piety  of  thirty-six  saints  (Lamed- wow  is  the  nu- 
merical representation  of  that  number).  If  it  were  not 
for  them,  the  sins  of  men  would  have  long  ago  worked 
the  destruction  of  the  universe.  Out  of  this  basal  belief 
have  sprung  up  the  stories  that  relate  the  deeds  of  the 
'  hidden  '  saints.  They  are  called  '  hidden  '  because  it 
is  the  ver}'-  essence  of  those  worthies  not  to  carry  their 
sanctity  for  show  :  they  are  humble  artisans,  generally 
tailors  or  shoemakers,  who  ply  their  humble  vocations 
unostentatiously,  and  to  all  intents  and  purposes  are 
common  people,  poor  and  rather  mentally  undeveloped. 
No  one  even  dreams  of  their  hidden  powers,  and  no  one 
ever  sees  them  studying  the  Law.  When  by  some  acci- 
dent their  identity  is  made  apparent,  they  vigorously 
deny  that  they  belong  to  the  chosen  Thirty-six,  and 
only  admit  the  fact  when  the  evidence  is  overwhelm- 
ingly against  them.  Then  they  are  ready  to  perform 
some  act  by  which  a  calamity  can  be  averted  from  the 

■work,  Przechadzki  po  Wilnie  i  jego  okoUcach  przez  Jana  ze  ^liwnia 
(A.  Kirkor),  Wilna,  1859,  that  contains  many  Je\Yish  tales. 

1  Also  told  of  a  Rabbi  of  Prague,  in  Sippurim,  SammJung  j'tklischer 
Volkssagen,  Erzdhhtngen,  Mythen,  Chronikcn,  DenkicUrdigkeiten  und 
Biographien  herllhmter  Juden  aller  Juhrhunderte,  besondcrs  dcs  3Iit- 
telaltcrs  {JWdische  Unlverscdbibliothck),  Prague,  1805.  These  Sip- 
pm'im  have  no  great  folklore  value,  as  they  show  too  much  the  hand 
of  the  literary  worker.  Of  similar  value  is  H.  Iliowizi's  In  the  Pale; 
St07'ies  and  Legends  of  the  Bussian  Jews,  Philadelphia,  1897. 


FOLKLORE  37 

Jews  collectively,  and  after  their  successful  undertaking 
they  return  to  their  humble  work  in  some  other  town 
where  there  is  no  chance  of  their  being  recognized  and 
importuned. 

One  of  the  most  perfect  stories  of  that  kind  is  told  of 
a  hidden  saint  who  lived  in  Cracow  in  the  days  of  Rab- 
benu  ]\Ioses  Isserls.  The  Polish  king  had  listened  to 
the  representations  of  his  minister  that  as  descendant  of 
the  Persian  king  he  was  entitled  to  the  sum  of  money 
which  Haman  had  promised  to  him  but  which  he  evi- 
dently had  not  paid,  having  been  robbed  of  it  by  the 
Jews.  He  ordered  the  Jews  of  Cracow  to  pay  forth- 
with the  enormous  sum  upon  pain  of  being  subjected  to 
a  cruel  persecution.  After  long  fasting  Rabbenu  Is- 
serls told  his  congregation  to  go  to  Chaim  the  tailor 
who  was  living  in  the  outskirts  of  the  town  and  to  ask 
him  to  use  his  supernatural  powers  in  averting  the  im- 
pending calamity.  After  the  customary  denials,  Chaim 
promised  to  be  the  spokesman  of  the  Jews  before  the 
king.  On  the  next  morning  he  went  to  the  palace. 
He  passed  unnoticed  by  the  guards  into  the  cabinet  of 
his  majesty  and  asked  him  to  sign  a  document  revoking 
liis  order.  In  anger,  the  king  went  to  the  door  to  chide 
the  guards  for  having  admitted  a  ragged  Jew  to  his 
presence.  As  he  opened  it,  he  stepped  into  space,  and 
found  himself  in  a  desert.  He  wandered  about  for  a 
whole  day  and  only  in  the  evening  he  met  a  poor  man 
who  offered  him  a  piece  of  dry  bread  and  showed  him  a 
place  of  shelter  in  a  cave.  The  poor  man  advised  him 
not  to  tell  of  his  being  a  king  to  an}'  one  that  he  might 
meet,  lest  he  be  robbed  or  killed.  He  gave  him  a  beg- 
gar's garments,  and  supplied  him  with  a  meal  of  dry 
bread  every  day.  At  the  expiration  of  a  year,  the  poor 
man  offered  him  work  as  a  woodcutter  with  an  improve- 


38  YIDDISH  LITER ATUEE 

meiit  in  his  fare  if  he  woukl  first  sign  a  document.  The 
king  was  only  too  happy  to  change  his  monotonous  con- 
dition, and  without  looking  at  it  signed  the  paper  pre- 
sented to  him.  His  trials  lasted  two  years  more,  after 
which  he  became  a  sailor,  was  shipwrecked  and  carried 
back  to  Cracow.  Just  then  he  awoke  to  discover  that 
his  three  years'  experience  had  only  lasted  fifteen  min- 
utes by  the  clock.  He  abided  by  his  agreement  in  the 
document  which  he  had  signed  in  his  dream,  and  thus 
the  great  misfortune  was  once  more  warded  off  by  the 
piety  of  a  Lamed-wow-nik.  The  minister,  the  story 
continues,  escaped  to  Italy  and  hence  to  Amsterdam, 
where  he  became  a  convert  to  Judaism.  In  his  old  age 
he  returned  to  Cracow  to  make  pilgrimages  to  the 
graves  of  Rabbenu  Isserls  and  Chaim,  the  saint. 

All  the  previous  stories  and  legends  pale  into  insig- 
nificance by  the  side  of  the  endless  miracles  spun  out  by 
the  Khassidim  and  ascribed  to  the  founder  of  the  sect 
and  his  disciples.^  Nothing  is  too  absurd  for  them. 
There  seems  to  be  a  conscious  desire  in  these  stories, 
to  outdo  all  previous  records,  in  order  to  throw  the 
largest  halo  on  their  Bal-schem-tow,  or  Bescht,  as  he 

1  On  the  Khassidim,  read  M.  Sachor-Masoch,  Sectes  juives  de  la 
Galicie,  in  Actes  et  Conferances  de  la  Societe  des  Etudes  Juives,  1889, 
pp.  cxli-clxiii,  and  S.  Schechter,  Studies  in  Judaism,  pp.  1-45  and  341. 
For  the  Russian  sources  on  the  Khassidim,  see  Sistematii^eskij  ukasa- 
teV  literatury  o  evrejach,  pp.  177-179  (Nos.  2424-2476).  Stories  of 
Adam  liaischera  are  mentioned  by  Steinschneider,  as  (Teschichte  des 
R.  Adam  Baal  Schem,  and  Geschichte  des  li.  Adam  mit  dem  Kaiser, 
in  Serapeum,  Vol.  X.  (1849),  p.  9,  No.  183.  See  also  UrqucU,  Vol.  V. 
p.  26G,  and  Vol.  VI.  p.  33.  B.  W.  Segel's  J'lhlische  Wundermdnne7', 
in  Globus,  Vol.  LXII.  pp.  312-314,  331-334,  343-345,  are  merely  trans- 
lations from  the  Sseefer  SsijJUi'ee  3Iaisses  (Khal  Chsidim);  of  similar 
origin  is  his  0  chasydach  i  chasydyzmie,  in  Wista,  Vol.  VIII.  pp.  304- 
312,  509-521,  677-090 ;  other  stories  by  him  are  in  his  Materyafy  do 
etnografii  gyd6w,  as  above. 


FOLKLORE  39 

is  called  by  his  initials.  Bal-schem-tow  was  neither 
the  miracle- worker  that  liis  adherents  would  have  him, 
nor  the  impostor  that  his  opponents  imagine  him  to 
have  been.  He  was  a  truly  pious  man  who  sought 
a  refuge  in  mysticism  against  the  verbalism  of  the 
Jews  of  his  da3's,  in  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  His  followers,  unfortunately  mistaking  the 
accidental  in  his  teachings  for  the  essentials  of  the 
new  doctrine,  have  raised  the  Cabbalistic  lucubrations 
of  his  disciples  to  the  dignity  of  religious  books,  and 
have  opened  wide  the  doors  for  superstitions  of  all 
kinds.  The  realities  of  this  world  hardly  exist  for 
them,  or  are  at  best  the  temporal  reflexes  of  that  mys- 
tic sphere  in  which  all  their  thoughts  soar.  Their 
rabbis  are  all  workers  of  miracles,  and  Bescht  is  adored 
by  them  more  than  Moses  and  the  Biblical  saints.  His 
life  and  acts  have  been  so  surrounded  by  a  legendary 
atmosphere  that  it  is  now,  only  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years  after  his  life,  not  possible  to  disentangle  truth 
from  fiction  and  to  reconstruct  the  real  man.  A  large 
number  of  books  relate  the  various  miraculous  inci- 
dents in  his  life,  but  the  one  entitled  '  Khal  Chsidim ' 
surpasses  them  all  in  variety,  and  attempts  to  give  as 
it  were  a  chronological  sequence  of  his  acts. 

In  that  book  his  grandfather  and  father  are  repre- 
sented as  foreshadowing  the  greatness  of  their  descend- 
ant. His  grandfather  is  a  minister  to  a  king,  and 
Elijah  announces  to  him  that  at  the  age  of  one  hun- 
dred years  his  wife  will  bear  him  a  son  who  will  be 
a  shining  light.  His  father  is  a  wizard  and  a  scholar, 
and  enjoins  his  son  before  his  death  to  study  with  a 
hidden  saint  in  the  town  of  Ukop.  After  his  studies 
were  completed  he  became  a  teacher  in  Brody,  and  a 
judge.     He  marries  the  sister  of  Rabbi  Gerschon,  who 


40  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

takes  him  for  a  simpleton,  and  in  vain  tries  to  instruct 
him.  No  one  knows  of  the  sanctity  of  Bescht.  He 
goes  into  the  mountains  accompanied  by  his  wife,  and 
there  meditates  a  long  while.  At  one  time  he  was 
about  to  step  from  a  mountain  into  empty  space,  when 
the  neighboring  mountain  inclined  its  summit  and  re- 
ceived the  erring  foot  of  Bescht.  After  seven  years 
of  solitary  life  he  returns  to  Brody  to  become  a 
servant  in  Gerschon's  household.  Later  his  career  of 
miracle-working  begins  :  he  heals  the  sick,  exorcises 
evil  spirits,  brings  down  rain  by  prayers,  breaks  spells, 
conquers  wizards,  predicts  the  future,  punishes  the  un- 
believers, rewards  the  faithful  by  endowing  them  with 
various  powers,  and  does  sundry  other  not  less  wonder- 
ful things.  When  he  prays,  the  earth  trembles,  and 
no  one  can  hear  his  voice  for  loudness.  He  sleeps  but 
two  hours  at  night  and  prays  the  rest  of  the  time, 
while  a  nimbus  of  fire  surrounds  him. 

Not  less  marvellous  are  the  deeds  of  his  disciples 
as  related  in  the  '  Sseefer  Maisse  Zadikim '  and  other 
similar  productions  that  are  issued  in  penny  sheets  in 
Lemberg  to  impress  the  believers  with  the  greatness 
of  their  faith.  Many  of  these  have  sprung  up  from 
the  desire  to  instill  the  necessity  of  observing  certain 
religious  rites,  and  this  the  authors  think  they  can 
accomplish  best  by  connecting  a  moral  with  some 
miraculous  tale.  For  every  imaginable  vow  there  is 
a  special  story  telling  of  the  blissfulness  that  the 
devotee  has  reached  or  the  misery  that  the  lax  foUower 
of  Khassidism  has  had  occasion  to  rue.  Every  good 
deed  according  to  them  creates  its  own  protecting 
spirits,  while  every  crime  produces  a  corresponding 
monstrous  beast  tliat  pursues  the  shmer  and  leads 
him  to  destruction.       Interesting  also  are  those  cases 


FOLKLOKE  41 

when  a  man  has  been  as  prone  to  sin  as  he  has  been 
to  perform  virtuous  acts,  for  then  the  struggle  between 
the  beings  of  his  creation  leads  to  amusing  results  in 
which  all  depends  on  the  preponderance  of  one  kind 
of  deeds  over  the  other.  The  worst  of  men  is  not  ex- 
cluded from  the  benefits  of  mercy  if  he  makes  amends  for 
his  crimes  by  an  earnest  repentance  which  is  followed 
by  a  long  penance. 

Of  the  latter  class,  the  following  is  a  t}7)ical  story. 
Chaim  has  brought  many  misfortunes  to  Jewish  fami- 
lies by  denouncing  and  blackmailing  them  to  the  Polish 
magnate,  the  chief  authorit}^  of  the  district.  Once 
while  on  his  way  to  the  magnate  he  sees  a  half -starved 
beggar  in  the  road,  and  he  divides  with  him  his  bread 
and  carries  him  to  his  house  and  takes  care  of  him 
until  he  is  well  enough  to  proceed  on  his  journey. 
Chaim  has  occasion  after  several  years  to  denounce 
some  one  to  the  magnate.  He  goes  to  the  cupboard 
to  fill  his  wallet  for  the  journey,  Avhen  he  sees  a  dead 
person  in  it.  After  he  has  collected  himself  from  his 
fright,  he  steps  up  once  more  to  the  cupboard.  The 
dead  person  tells  him  that  he  is  the  beggar  that  he 
saved  from  starvation  some  time  ago,  that  he  had 
heard  in  heaven  that  Chaim  was  to  be  given  his  last 
chance  in  life,  and  that  he  had  come  to  warn  him  to 
repent  his  misdeeds.  Chaim  takes  his  advice  to  heart, 
and  for  seven  years  stays  uninterruptedly  in  the  syna- 
gogue, perfecting  himself  in  his  knowledge  of  the  re- 
ligious lore.  On  the  eve  of  the  Passover  he  allows 
himself  to  be  tempted  by  Satan  in  the  shape  of  a 
scholar,  to  eat  leavened  bread  at  a  time  when  the  Law 
prohibits  it.  As  he  steps  out  to  the  brook  to  wash 
his  hands  before  tasting  of  the  bread,  the  dead  person 
once  more  appears  to  him  and  tells  him   that   Satan 


42  YIDDISH   LITERATUKE 

has  been  sent  to  liim  to  tempt  him,  because  it  was 
thought  that  his  seven  years'  penance  alone  was  not 
sufficient  to  atone  for  his  many  evil  deeds  ;  that  all 
his  labors  have  been  in  vain,  and  that  he  will  have 
to  do  penance  another  seven  years.  This  Chaim  is 
only  too  ready  to  undergo,  and  he  applies  himself  with 
even  more  ardor  than  before  to  get  a  remission  of  his 
sins.  At  the  expiration  of  the  allotted  time  Chaim 
dies  and  is  at  once  taken  to  heaven. 

The  legends  and  folk-tales  so  far  considered  are  of  a 
strictly  Jewish  character,  whatever  tlieir  origin.  They 
are  in  one  way  or  another  connected  with  the  inner  life 
of  the  Jewish  community.  They  deal  with  the  acts  of 
their  worthies  and  inculcate  religious  truths.  But 
these  are  far  from  forming  the  bulk  of  all  the  stories 
that  are  current  to-day  among  the  German  Jews  in 
Slavic  countries.  Among  the  printed  books  of  a  popu- 
lar character  there  are  many  that  not  only  are  of  Gentile 
origin,  but  that  have  not  been  transformed  in  the  light 
of  the  Mosaic  faith  ;  they  have  been  reprinted  without 
chanofe  of  contents  for  the  last  four  centuries,  furnish- 
ing  an  example  of  long  survival  unequalled  probably 
in  any  other  literature.^      Many  of   the  stories   that 

1  The  older  literature  of  that  class  is  briefly  discussed  by  Stein- 
schneider  in  his  articles  in  the  Serapcum  under  the  following  numbers 
(for  the  years  1848,  1840,  1864, 1806,  1809)  :  302,  KaJilah  loc-Dimnah; 
893,  Barlaam  and  Josaphat ;  59,  309,  Diodetianus ;  200  b,  Octavi- 
anus ;  22,  Bevys  of  Hamptonn ;  51,  Bitter  Sigmund  und  Magdalena ; 
2')0,  Kuiiiy  Artus;  13,  Eldad  ha-Dani ;  156-198,  410-413,  420,  various 
stories;  212,  213,  fables  {Kuhbuch)  ;  167,  Maase  Nissim ;  156-158, 
Mnasehuch.  But  the  latter  has  been  superseded  by  his  JUdisch- 
deutsche  Litterat^tr  und  JUdisch-deutscJi,  mit  besonderer  Bikksicht 
aitf  Ave-Lallemant ;  2.  Artilwl :  Das  Maase-Buch,  Serapextm,  Vol. 
XXVII.  (1806),  No.  1.  This  Maasehuch  is  extremely  rare  now,  but 
in  its  day  it  was  enormously  popular,  having  been  used  for  regular 
religious  readings  on  the  Sabbath.     Wagenseil  and  Buxtorf  mention 


FOLKLORE  43 

had  been  current  in  Germany  long  before  the  time 
of  printing  were  among  the  first  to  be  issued  from 
Jewish  printing  presses.  Stories  of  the  court  of  King 
Arthur  in  verse,  of  Dietrich  of  Bern,  of  the  '  Constant 
Love  of  Floris  and  Blauchefleur,'  of  '  Thousand  and  One 
Nights,'  had  been  common  in  the  sixteenth  and  seven- 
teenth centuries,  and  many  of  them  may  be  found  in 
editions  of  this  century  ;  but  none  of  them  has  been  so 
popular  as  the  '  Bovo-maisse,'  the  latest  edition  of  which 
is  known  to  me  from  the  year  1895.  It  is  identical 
with  the  English  '  Bevys  of  Hamptoun '  and  was  done 
into  Judeo-German  by  Elia  Levita  in  Venice  in  the 
year  1501.  It  is,  no  doubt,  related  to  some  one  of  the 
many  Italian  versions  in  which  Bevys  is  turned  into 
Bovo.  The  popularity  of  this  book  has  been  second 
only  to  the  '  Zeena-Ureena '  which  contains  a  very  large 
number  of  folk-tales  interwoven  in  a  popular  exposition 

this  fact,  while  Helwich  thought  it  of  suflicient  importance  to  trans- 
late the  book  into  German  and  supply  it  with  critical  notes.  Hel- 
wich's  book  seems  to  have  escaped  the  attention  of  all  who  have 
dealt  on  the  MaasebucJi,  Steinschneider  included  ;  and  yet  without  it 
a  study  of  the  Jewish  folklore  is  very  difficult,  as  the  Maasebiich  can 
hardly  be  procured.  The  title  of  the  book  is  :  Erster  Theil  jMischer 
Historien  oder  TJiahnudischer  Babbinischer  vmnderlicher  Lcgenden, 
so  von  Juden  als  wahrhafftige  und  heylige  Geschicht  an  ihreu  Sab- 
bathen  und  Festtagen  gelesen  werden.  Darausz  dieses  verstockten 
Volcks  Aberglauben  und  Fabelwerck  zu  ersehen.  Ausz  ihren  eigenen 
Biichern  in  Truck  Teutsch  verfertigt,  von  neuem  iibersehen  und  cor- 
rigiert  durch  Christophorum  Ilelvicum,  der  H.  Schrift  und  Hebraisclien 
Sprach  Professorem  in  der  Universitet  zu  Giessen,  Giessen,  bey  Cas- 
par Chemlein,  Im  Jahre  1612,  16mo,  222  pp.  Second  part  with  slightly 
different  title.  After  gelesen  werden  follows :  Sampt  beygeftigten 
Glossen  und  Widerlegung,  16mo,  207  pp.  See  also  Is.  L^vi,  Cinq 
contes  juifs,  in  3Ielusine,  Vol.  II.  col.  569-574.  On  the  Konig  Artus, 
cf.  Schroder,  Mitteilnngen  iibev  ein  dentsches  Wigaloisejyos  aus  dem 
17.  Jahrhundcrte,  M.  Hanau  B.  V.  Hess.  G.  Some  of  these  stories 
are  discussed  in  Jacobs's  Jewish  Diffusion  of  Folk  Tales  (as  above). 


44  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

of  tlie  Bible.  There  are  also  books  that  contain  stories 
of  '  Sinbacl  the  Sailor,'  or  what  seem  to  be  versions  of  Sir 
John  Mauncleville's  'Travels,'  and  other  similar  fantastic 
tales. 

These  stories,  having  once  been  committed  to  writing 
and  printing,  have  remained  intact  up  to  our  times, 
except  that  they  have  undergone  linguistic  moderniza- 
tions. But  there  is  also  an  unlimited  number  of  fairy 
tales  and  fables  in  circulation  ^vhich  have  never  been 
written  down,  which  have  therefore  been  more  or  less 
subjected  to  local  influences  ;  in  these  Hebrew,  German, 
and  Slavic  elements  meet  most  freely,  causing  the  stories 
to  be  moulded  in  new  forms. ^  It  may  be  asserted  with- 
out fear  of  contradiction  that  among  the  Russian  Jews 
the  investigator  will  find  the  best,  most  complete  versions 
of  most,  if  not  all,  the  stories  contained  in  Grimm's  or 
Andersen's  collections.  The  reason  for  it  is  to  be 
sought  in  the  inordinate  love  of  story-telling  that  the 
Jews  possess.     They  are  fond  of  staying  up  late  in  the 

1  A  few  scattered  stories  may  be  fouud  in  the  following  publica- 
tions :  M.  Schwarzfeld,  Basmul  cu  Pantoful  la  Evrei,  la  Bomdiii  si  la 
alte  Popoare,  Studiu  folkloristic,  Bucuresti,  1893,  8vo,  27  pp.  {Extras 
din  Anuarul  pentru  Israeliti,  Vol.  XV.  pp.  138-105);  by  the  same, 
Sciisoare  calre  Dumnezeu,  Cercetare  folcloristicd  (AmiarJil pentru  Isra- 
eliti, Vol  XV,  pp.  191-198);  R.  T.  Kaindl,  Eine  jUdische  Sage  iiber 
die  Entstehung  des  Erdbebens,  Zeitschrift  far  Ethnologie,  Vol.  XXV. 
p.  370 ;  B.  W.  Segel,  JUdische  Volksmiirchen,  in  Globus,  Vol.  LX. 
pp.  283  ff.,  296-298,  313-315.  The  largest  collection  of  folk-tales  by 
the  same  author  are  given  in  Zbidr  ioiadomosci  do  antropologii  kra- 
jowej,  Vol.  XVII.,  Cracow,  1893,  under  the  title,  MateryaHy  do  etno- 
grafii  kydoio  loschodiiio-galicyjskich,  pp.  201-332  ;  a  review  of  this 
important  work,  in  German,  is  given  in  the  Urquell,  Vol.  V.  pp.  183- 
186.  Scattered  through  the  Urquell  there  are  many  interesting  tales, 
mainly  on  gilgulim,  leezim,  mecssim ;  cf.  Vol.  IV.,  pp.  96,  97,  257; 
Neue  Folge,  Vol.  I.  pp.  80,  81,  121,  122,  344,  345,  351 ;  see  also  Z.  d. 
V.  f.  v.,  Vol.  IV.  p.  210.  See  also  the  bibliography  of  the  legends, 
etc.,  in  Sistematiceskij  ukazatel,  p.  211  (Nos.  3133-3136). 


FOLKLORE  45 

night,  particularly  in  the  winter,  and  whiling  away  the 
time  with  an  endless  series  of  stories.  The  stranger 
who  is  a  good  raconteur  is  sure  of  a  kind  reception  wher- 
ever he  may  chance  to  stay ;  but  his  nights  will  be 
curtailed  by  the  extent  of  his  fund  of  stories,  for  his 
audience  will  not  budge  as  long  as  they  suspect  that 
the  stranger  has  not  spent  all  the  arrows  from  his  quiver. 
The  wandering  beggar-students  and  tailors  have  the 
reputation  for  story-telling ;  it  was  by  one  of  the  latter 
that  a  large  number  of  fairy  tales  were  related  to  me. 
I  choose  for  illustration  one  that  is  known  in  a  great 
variety  of  versions. 

The  Fool  is  Wiser  than  the  Wise 

"  Once  upon  a  time  there  lived  a  rich  man  who  had 
three  sons  :  two  of  them  were  wise,  while  one  was  a 
fool.  After  his  death  the  brothers  i^roceeded  to  divide 
the  property,  which  consisted  mainly  of  cattle.  The 
two  wise  brothers  suggested  that  the  herd  be  divided 
into  three  equal  parts,  and  that  lots  be  cast  for  each  ; 
but  the  fool  insisted  that  corrals  be  built  near  the  house 
of  each  and  that  each  be  allowed  to  keep  the  cattle  that 
would  stray  into  his  corral.  The  wise  brothers  agreed 
to  this,  and  to  entice  the  oxen  and  cows  they  placed 
fresh  hay  in  their  enclosures ;  but  the  fool  did  not 
take  measures  to  gain  possession  of  cattle  by  unfair 
means.  The  animals  were  attracted  by  the  odor  of  the 
new-mown  hay,  and  only  one  calf  strolled  into  the  fool's 
enclosure.  The  fool  kept  his  calf  for  eight  days,  and 
forgot  to  give  it  fodder  during  that  time  ;  so  it  died. 
He  took  off  its  hide,  and  placed  it  in  the  sun  to  get  dry. 
There  it  lay  until  it  shrivelled  up.  Then  he  took  the 
hide  to  Warsaw  to  sell  it,  but  no  one  wanted  to  buy  it, 
for  it  was  all  dried  up. 


46  YIDDISH   LITERATUKE 

"  He  started  for  home  and  came  to  an  inn  where  he 
wanted  to  stay  over  night.  He  found  there  twelve  men 
eating,  and  drinking  good  wine.  He  asked  the  land- 
lady" whether  he  could  stay  there  over  night.  She  told 
him  she  would  not  keep  him  in  the  house  for  all  the 
money  in  the  world,  and  she  asked  him  to  leave  the 
house  at  once.  He  did  not  like  her  hasty  manner,  and 
he  hid  himself  behind  the  door  where  no  one  could  see 
him.  There  he  overheard  the  landlady  saying  to  the 
men :  '  Before  my  husband  gets  home  you  must  go 
down  in  the  cellar  and  hide  behind  the  wine-casks.  In 
the  night,  when  he  will  be  asleep,  you  must  come  up 
and  kill  him.  Then  I  shall  be  satisfied  with  you  !  ' 
After  a  short  while  her  husband  returned  from  the 
distillery  with  some  brandy,  and  the  men  hurried  down 
into  the  cellar.  He  unloaded  the  brandy-casks,  and  went 
into  the  house.  He  asked  his  wife  for  something  to 
eat ;  but  she  said  there  was  nothing  in  the  house.  Just 
then  the  fool  stepped  in  and  asked  the  innkeeper  whether 
he  could  not  stay  there  over  night.  The  landlady  got 
angry  at  him  and  said  :  '  I  told  you  before  that  there 
was  no  bed  here  for  you  ! '  But  the  innkeeper  said  : 
'  He  will  stay  here  over  night ! '  and  the  innkeeper's 
word  was  law.  He  told  the  fool  to  sit  down  at 
the  table  with  him,  and  they  started  a  conversation. 
The  fool  accidentally  placed  his  hand  on  the  hide,  which 
being  dry  began  to  crackle.  The  innkeeper  asked  him  : 
'  What  makes  the  hide  crackle  that  way  ?  '  and  the  fool 
answered  :  '  It  is  talking  to  me  ! '  '  What  does  it  say?' 
'  It  says  that  you  are  hungry,  and  that  your  wife  says 
that  there  is  nothing  in  the  house,  but  that  if  you  will 
look  into  the  oven  you  will  find  some  dishes.'  He  went 
up  to  the  oven  and  found  there  enough  for  himself  and 
the  fool  to  eat.     Tlien  the  hide  crackled  again,  and  the 


FOLKLORE  47 

innkeeper  asked  again :  '  Wliat  does  it  say  ?  '  'It  says 
that  you  should  start  a  big  fire  in  the  oven  !  '  '  What 
is  the  fire  for  ? '  '  I  do  not  know,  but  you  must  obey 
the  hide.'  So  he  went  and  made  a  big  fire  in  the  oven. 
Then  the  hide  crackled  again.  Says  he  :  '  What  does 
the  hide  say  now?'  'It  tells  to  heat  kettles  of  water.' 
When  the  water  got  hot,  tlie  hide  crackled  again. 
Then  he  asked  :  '  What  does  the  hide  say  now  ? '  'It 
says  that  you  should  take  some  strong  men  with  jou  to 
the  cellar  and  pour  the  water  behind  the  wine-casks.' 
And  so  he  did.  The  robbers  were  all  scalded,  and  they 
ran  away.  Then  he  came  upstairs,  and  the  hide 
crackled  again.  Said  he  :  '  Why  does  it  crackle  now  ? ' 
'  The  twelve  robbers  wanted  to  kill  you  at  night,  because 
your  wife  ordered  them  to  do  so.'  When  the  wife 
heard  that,  she  also  ran  away.  Then  the  innkeeper 
said  :  '  Sell  me  your  hide  !  '  The  fool  answered  :  '  It 
costs  much  money.'  'No  matter  how  much  it  costs, 
I  shall  pay  for  it,  for  it  has  saved  my  life.'  'It  costs 
one  thousand  roubles.'  So  he  gave  him  one  thousand 
roubles.  The  fool  went  home,  and  when  the  brothers 
heard  that  he  had  sold  his  hide  for  one  thousand  roubles, 
they  killed  all  their  cattle,  and  took  their  hides  to 
Warsaw  to  sell.  They  figured  that  if  their  brother's 
calf  brought  one  thousand  roubles,  the  hides  of  their 
oxen  ought  to  fetch  them  at  least  two  thousand  roubles 
apiece.  When  they  asked  two  thousand  roubles  apiece, 
people  laughed  and  offered  them  a  rouble  for  each. 
When  they  heard  that,  they  went  home  and  upbraided 
their  brother  for  having  cheated  them.  But  he  insisted 
that  he  had  received  one  thousand  roubles  for  his  hide, 
and  the  brothers  left  him  alone. 

"  After  a  while  the  fool's  wife  died.    The  undertakers 
wanted  one  thousand  roubles  for  her  interment.     But 


ca. 


48  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

the  fool  would  not  pay  that  sum.  He  placed  his  wife 
in  a  wagon  and  took  her  to  Warsaw.  There  he  filled 
the  wagon  Avith  fine  apples  and  put  the  dead  body  at 
the  head  of  the  wagon  all  dressed  up.  He  himself  stood 
at  some  distance  and  watched  what  would  happen. 
There  rode  by  a  Polish  count,  and  as  he  noticed  the 
fine  aj)ples,  he  sent  his  servant  to  buy  some.  The  ser- 
vant asked  the  woman  several  times  at  what  price  she 
sold  tlie  apples  ;  but  as  she  did  not  answer  him,  he  hit  • 
her  in  the  face.  Then  the  fool  ran  up  and  cried,  saying 
that  they  had  killed  his  wife.  The  count  descended 
from  his  carriage,  and  when  he  had  convinced  himself 
that  the  woman  was  really  dead,  he  asked  the  fool  what 
he  could  do  to  satisfy  him.  The  fool  asked  five  thousand 
roubles,  and  the  count  paid  him.  The  fool  paid  the 
undertaker  in  Warsaw  a  few  roubles,  and  he  buried  his 
wife.  He  returned  home  and  told  his  brothers  of  his 
having  received  five  thousand  roubles  for  his  dead  wife. 
Upon  hearing  that,  they  killed  their  wives  and  children 
and  took  the  dead  bodies  to  Warsaw  to  sell.  When 
they  arrived  in  Warsaw,  they  were  asked  what  they 
had  in  their  wagons.  They  said :  '  Dead  bodies  for 
sale.'  The  peoj)le  began  to  laugh,  and  said  that  dead 
bodies  had  to  be  taken  to  the  cemetery.  There  was 
nothing  left  for  the  brothers  to  do  but  to  take  them  to 
the  cemetery  and  have  them  buried. 

"  They  wept  bitterly,  and  swore  that  they  would  take 
revenge  on  their  brother.  And  so  they  did.  When 
they  arrived  home,  they  told  him  that  they  wished  to 
make  him  a  prince.  They  enticed  him  for  that  purpose 
into  a  bag,  and  wanted  to  throw  him  into  the  water. 
They  went  away  to  find  a  place  where  they  could  throw 
him  in  without  being  noticed.  In  the  meanwhile  the 
fool  kept  on  crying  in  the  bag  that  lie  did  not  care  to 


FOLKLORE  49 

be  a  prince,  that  he  wished  to  get  out  of  the  bag.  Just 
then  a  rich  Polish  merchant  drove  by.  When  he  lieard 
the  cries  in  the  bag,  he  stepped  down  from  liis  carriage 
and  asked  the  fool  why  lie  was  crjdng  so.  He  said  :  '  I 
do  not  want  to  be  a  prince  ! '  So  he  untied  him  and 
said  :  '  Let  me  get  into  the  bag  and  be  made  a  prince  ! 
I  shall  make  you  a  present  of  my  horses  and  my  car- 
riage, if  you  will  let  me  be  a  prince.'  The  rich  man 
crept  into  the  bag,  and  the  fool  tied  it  fast.  He  went 
into  the  carriage  and  drove  away.  The  brothers  came, 
picked  up  the  bag,  and  threw  it  into  the  water.  The 
fool  watched  their  doings  from  a  distance.  The  brothers 
were  sure  they  had  drowned  the  fool  and  returned 
home.  The  next  morning  they  were  astonished  to  see 
their  brother  driving  around  town  in  a  fine  carriage. 
They  asked  him  :  '  Where  did  you  get  that  ?  '  He  an- 
swered :  '  In  the  water.'  'Are  there  more  of  them  left?' 
'There  are  finer  ones  down  there.'  So  they  went  down 
to  the  water's  edge,  and  they  agreed  that  one  of  them 
should  leap  in  and  see  if  there  were  any  carriages  left 
there,  and  if  he  should  find  any,  he  was  to  make  a  noise 
in  the  water,  when  the  other  one  would  follow  him. 
One  of  them  leaped  in,  and  beginning  to  drown,  began 
to  splash  the  water.  The  other,  thinking  his  brother 
was  calling  him,  also  jumped  in,  and  they  were  both 
drowned.  The  fool  became  the  sole  heir  of  all  their 
property ;  he  married  again,  and  is  now  living  quite 
happily." 

Corresponding  to  the  diffusion  of  folklore  among  the 
Jews,  their  store  of  popular  beliefs,  superstitions,  and 
medicine  is  unlimited.  Their  mysterious  world  is 
peopled  with  the  imaginary  beings  of  the  Talmud,  the 
creatures  of  German  mythology,  and  the  creations  of 


50  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

the  Slavic  popular  mind.  These  exist  for  them,  how- 
ever, not  as  separate  entities,  but  as  transfused  into  an 
organic  whole  in  which  the  belief  of  Babylonia  and 
Assyria  has  much  of  the  outward  form  of  the  supersti- 
tion of  Russia,  just  as  the  sj)irits  of  Poland  and  Germany 
are  made  to  be  brothers  to  those  of  Chaldea  and  Egypt. 
To  their  minds  the  transmigrated  souls  of  the  Grilgulim, 
the  scoffing  Leezim,  the  living  dead  bodies  of  the  3Iees- 
sim,  the  possessing  Dibnkwi,  the  grewsome  Scheedim, 
are  as  real  as  the  Riesen  and  Schraetele  of  Germany 
and  the  Nischtgute  (niedobry),  Wukodlaki  (werewolf), 
Zlidne,  Upior  (vampyre),  and  Domoivoj  of  Russia.  The 
beast  Reem  of  the  Talmud,  the  Piperndtter  (Lindwurm) 
of  Germany  are  not  less  known  to  them  than  the  fabled 
animals  of  Russian  fairy  tales.  In  case  of  sickness  they 
consult  with  equal  success  the  miracle-working  Rabbi 
with  his  lore  derived  from  Talmud  and  Cabbala,  as  the 
Tartar  medicine  man  (znachar),  or  get  some  old  woman 
to  recite  the  ancient  German  formula  for  warding  off 
the  evil  eye.  There  is  not  an  incident  in  their  lives, 
from  their  births  unto  their  deaths,  that  is  not  accom- 
panied by  its  own  circle  of  superstitious  rites  and  prac- 
tices.^ 

1  On  the  customs,  beliefs,  superstitions,  etc.,  of  the  Jews,  see  A.  P. 
Bender,  Beliefs,  Rites,  and  Customs  of  the  Jews  Connected  with  Death, 
Burial,  and  Mourning,  in  Jcioish  Quarterly  Eevieio,  Vol.  VI.  pp.  317- 
347,  664-671,  and  Vol.  VII.  pp.  101-118;  Dan,  Volksglauhen  und 
Gebriiuche  der  Juden  in  der  Bukovnna,  in  Zeitschrift  fur  bsterreich- 
ische  Volkskunde,  Vol.  II.  Nos.  2,  ?,  ;  Hedvige  Heinicke,  Le  carnaval 
des  juifs  galiciens,  in  Revue  des  Traditions  populaires.  Vol.  VI.  p.  118  ; 
I.  Buchbiuder,  Judische  Sabobones,  in  Ilausfreund,  Vol.  II.  pp.  167- 
170 ;  Steinschneider  mentions  books  dealing  on  superstitions  in  his 
catalogue  in  the  Serapeum,  under  the  numbers  219  and  421.  This  sub- 
ject is  treated  extensively  in  the  Urquell,  Vol.  II.  pp.  5-7,  34-36,  112, 
165,  166,  181-183 ;  Vol.  III.  pp.  18,  19,  286-288  ;  Vol.  IV.  pp.  73-75, 
94-90,  118,  110,  141,  142,  170,  171,  187-189,  210,211,272-274;  Vol. 


FOLKLORE  61 

Their  literature,  both  oral  and  printed,  is  also  full  of 
evidences  of  that  popular  creative  spirit  which  finds  its 
expression  in  the  form  of  maxims  and  proverbs.  One 
can  hardly  turn  the  pages  of  a  novel  or  comedy  without 
finding  some  interesting  specimens  of  this  class.  But 
little  has  been  done  to  classify  them,  or  even  to  collect 
them.  The  printed  collections  of  Tendlau  and  Bern- 
stein contain  less  than  three  thousand  proverbs,  while 
the  seven  thousand  saws  on  which  Schwarzfeld  bases 
his  generalizations  in  a  Roumanian  periodical  (^Anuarul 
pentru  Israeliti)  have  not  yet  been  published  by  him.^ 

V.  pp.  19,  81,  170,  171,  225-228,  290,  291  ;  Neue  Folge,  Vol.  I.  pp.  9, 
46-49,  270,  271  ;  Vol.  IL  pp.  33,  34,  46,  108-110.  See  also  Segel, 
Materyafy  do  etnograjii  zycl6io,  etc.,  pp.  319-328;  S.  Abramowitsch, 
Das  kleine  Menschele,  pp.  76-77  ;  Liuetzki,  Dels  chsidische  Jilngel, 
pp.  29-31,  114.  For  a  general  work  on  Jewish  superstitions,  see 
M.  Schuhl,  Superstitions  et  coutumes  populaires  du  Judaisme  con- 
temporain,  Paris,  1882,  4to,  42  pp.  The  most  important  contribution 
on  the  beliefs  of  the  German  Jews  in  the  early  Middle  Ages  is  given 
by  Giidemann,  Geschichte  des  Erziehungswesen  und  der  Cultur  der 
Juden,  etc.,  Vol.  I.  Chap.  VII.  pp.  199-228,  under  the  title  Der 
judische  Aber-,  Zmcber-  und  Hexen-glaube  in  Frankreich  und  Deutsch- 
land  im  12.  und  13.  Jahrhunderte.  See  also  the  bibliograpliy  of  the 
subject  in  tlie  Sistematiceskij  ukazateV ,  pp.  211,  212  (Nos.  3137- 
3159).  A  large  number  of  superstitions,  beliefs,  etc.,  are  scattered 
throughout  the  Judeo-German  literature  :  probably  the  most  impor- 
tant of  such  works  is  Schatzkes'  Der  jildischer  Var-Feessach  (q.v.). 

1  For  proverbs  and  the  discussion  of  the  same,  see :  M.  Spektor, 
Judische  Volkswortlich,  in  Jildisches  Volksblatt,  Vol.  VI.  pp.  63,  95, 
112,  128, 191,  304,  423,  488  ;  I.  Bernstein,  Sprichvforter,  in  Hausfreund, 
Vol.  I.  pp.  89-112,  and  Vol.  II.  pp.  1-49  (second  part);  S.  Adelberg, 
Przyslowia  zydowskie,  in  IFi'sfa,  Vol.  IV.  pp.  166-187  ;  M.  Schwarzfeld, 
Literatura  populara  Israelite  ca  element  etnico-psichologic,  in  Aimarul 
pentru  Israeliti,  Vol.  XII.  pp.  41-52 ;  the  same,  Evreii  in  Literatura 
lor  populara  sau  Cum  se  judecd  evreii  insusi,  Studiu  etnico-psichologic, 
Bucuresti,  1898,  8vo,  37  pp.  {Anuarul  pentru  Israeliti,  Vol.  XIX. 
pp.  1-37).  In  connection  with  the  last  two,  though  not  strictly  on 
Jewish  proverbs,  see  his  Evreii  in  Literatura  populara  Bomana,  Studiu 
de  psichologie  populara,  —  Anex,  Evreii  in  literatura  populara  univer- 


52  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

Equally  rich  would  prove  the  harvest  of  popular 
anecdotes,  either  as  told  of  separate  individuals,  as 
Herschele  Ostropoler,  Motke  Chabad,  Jossef  Loksch, 
the  wise  man  of  Chelm,  and  the  like,  or  as  applied  to 
the  inhabitants  of  certain  Abderitic  towns.^  Many 
such  collections  are  mentioned  in  the  appeiidix,  but 
they  do  not  by  any  means  exhaust  the  stories  that  are 
current  among  the  people.  Though  they  generally  are 
of  the  same  character  as  those  told  of  Schildburg  and 
Till  Eulenspiegel,  and  are  even  borrowings  from  those 
German  stories,  yet  they  contain  so  much  original  mat- 
ter, and  have  been  welded  into  such  new  forms,  that 
they  deserve  the  attention  of  the  student  of  folklore. 
They  also  bear  excellent  witness  to  that  pungent  wit 
for  which  the  Jews  are  so  justly  famous. 

sala,  Tahlou  comparativ,  Bucuresti,  1892,  8vo,  78  pp.  (Extras  din 
Anuarul  pentru  Israeliti,  Vol.  XIV.  pp.  97-172).  A  large  number 
of  proverbs  from  various  Slavic  localities  are  given  in  the  Urquell : 
Vol.  II.  pp.  26,  27,  60,  112,  131,  163,  178,  196  ;  Vol.  IV.  pp.  75,  76, 
194,  212,  215,  256,  2-57;  Vol.  VI.  pp.  33,  34,  69,  119-121 ;  Neue  Folge, 
Vol.  I.  pp.  14,  15,  119-121,  172-175,  271-279;  Vol.  II.  pp.  221,  222, 
311-313,  338-340.  For  the  proverbs  of  the  German  Jews,  see  A. 
Tendlau,  Sprichworter  nnd  Bedensarten  deutsch-judischei'  Vorzeit,  als 
Beitrag  zur  Volks-,  Sprach-  %ind  Spricliwdrter-kunde,  aufgezeichnet 
aus  dem  Munde  des  Volkes  und  nach  Woi-t  nnd  Sinn  erliiutert,  Frank- 
furt a.  M.  (1860). 

1  The  older  books  on  Eulenspiegel  are  given  by  Steinsclineider  in 
the  Serapeu7n,  under  Nos.  10,  288,  and  388  ;  in  the  UrqneU,  there  are 
a  few  stories  on  Chelm  in  Vol.  III.  pp.  27-29,  and  Neue  Folgo,  Vol.  I. 
pp.  345,  346.  A  large  number  is  given  by  Segel  in  his  collection  in 
the  Zbidr  wiadomosci  do  antropologii  krajowej,  pp.  303-306. 


IV.     THE   FOLKSONG 

The  Je^ys  have  been  preeminently  inhabitants  of 
towns  ;  their  very  admission  into  Poland  was  based 
on  the  supposition  that  they  w^ould  be  instrumental  in 
creating  towns  and  cities,  from  which  the  agricultural 
Slavs  kept  aloof.  Centuries  of  city  life  have  incapaci- 
tated them  for  any  other  occupation  than  commerce 
and  artisanship,  and  have  entirely  estranged  them  from 
nature.  On  the  other  hand,  their  civil  disabilities  and 
oppression  have  led  them  to  cling  more  closely  to  the 
Bible  and  their  religious  lore  than  was  customary 
among  their  coreligionists  in  other  lands.  It  was  in 
these  Slavic  countries  that  the  Talmud  was  rediscov- 
ered and  that  it  was  introduced  to  the  rest  of  Judaism. 
All  these  circumstances  developed  in  them  a  strong 
retrospective  spirit,  so  that  in  the  centre  of  their  intel- 
lectual horizon  stands  man  in  all  his  varying  moods 
and  vicissitudes  of  fortune.  Consequently  all  their 
folksongs  1  have  more  or  less  of  a  lyrical  tinge,  and 

1  In  a  general  way  the  Judeo-German  folksong  was  treated  by  I.  6. 
OrSanskij,  in  his  Evrei  v  Bossii,  Ocerki  ekonomihskago  i  ohsfestven- 
nago  byta  riisskich  evreev,  St.  Petersburg,  1877,  8vo,  on  pp.  391-402  ; 
more  specially  by  J.  J.  Lerner,  Die  judische  3hise,  in  Hausfretoid, 
Vol.  II.  pp.  182-198,  from  which  a  few  songs  are  quoted  here.  The 
most  of  the  songs  given  hei'e  are  from  my  manuscript  collection 
made  in  Boston  and  New  York  among  the  Russian  Jews.  In  the 
Urquell  folksongs  are  given  in  Vol.  IV.  pp.  119,  120  ;  Vol.  V.  p.  196  ; 
Vol.  VI.  pp.  4.3,  158  ;  Neue  Folge,  Vol.  I.  pp.  45,  50,  82,  83,  175, 
239-242  ;  Vol.  II.  pp.  27-29,  39,  40.  Cf.  B.  W.  Segel,  Materyai'y  do 
etnografii  zyddw  wschodnio-galicyjskich,  in  Zbiur  loiadoinosci  do  antro- 
pologii  krajoioej,  Vol.  XVII.  pp.  306-319. 

53 


64  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

the  consideration  of  nature  is  almost  entirely  absent 
from  them ;  occasionally  a  flower,  a  natural  phenome- 
non, finds  a  passing  mention  in  them,  but  these  are  never 
used  for  their  own  intrinsic  interest.  Outside  of  him- 
self, the  Jew  knows  only  his  duties  to  God  and  his 
duties  to  man,  as  flowing  from  his  duties  to  God.  Not 
feeling  himself  as  a  constituent  part  of  a  nation,  having 
no  other  union  with  his  fellow-men  except  that  of  reli- 
gion, he  could  never  rise  to  the  appreciation  and  forma- 
tion of  an  epic  poem,  although  the  material  for  such  a 
one  was  present  in  the  very  popular  legend  of  the  one- 
day  king,  Saul  "Wahl.^ 

The  cradle  songs  reflect  this  spirit. ^  While  babies 
of  Gentiles  hear  meaningless  nursery  rhymes  or  comi- 
cal ditties,  Jewish  infants  are  early  made  acquainted 
with  the  serious  aspects  of  life.  They  are  told  of  the 
ideal  of  their  future  occupation,  which  is  commerce, 
they  are  spurred  on  to  '  Tore,'  which  is  learning,  mainly 
religious,  and  they  are  reminded  that  they  must  remain 
an  '  ehrlicher,'  i.e.  an  orthodox,  Jew.  The  following 
poem  is,  probably,  the  most  popular  song  in  Judeo- 
German,  as  it  is  sung  from  Galicia  to  Siberia,  and 
from  the  Baltic  provinces  to  Roumania : 

Hinter  Jankeles  Wiegele 
Steht  a  klar-weiss  Ziegele : 

1  The  legend  has  been  admirably  treated  by  the  historian,  S.  A. 
Bersadskij,  in  Ecrej  koroV  polskij,  in  the  Voschod,  Vol.  IX.  Nos.  1-5. 

2  The  Urqrtell  (see  above)  gives  some  children's  songs.  See  also 
L.  Wiener,  Aiis  dcr  russisch-jUdischen  Kindcrstube,  iu  Mitteilungen 
der  Gesellschaft  fur  jlidische  Volksknnde,  Jierausycgeben  von  M.  Gj'uh- 
toald,  Hamburg,  1898,  Heft  II,  pp.  40-49;  R.  F.  Kaindl,  Lieder,  Neck- 
reime,  Abzcihlverse,  Spiele,  Geheimsprachen  und  allerlei  Kunterbuntes 
aus  der  Kinderwelt,  in  der  Bukoioina  und  in  Galizien  gesammelt,  in 
Z.  d.  V.  f.  v.,  Vol.  VII.  pp.  146,  147.  In  Linetzki's  Bds  chsidische 
Jungel,  p.  23,  a  number  of  children's  songs  ai'e  mentioned  by  title. 


THE  FOLKSONG  55 

Ziegele  is'  gefahren  handlen 
Rozinkelach  mit  IMandlen. 
llo/jiikelacli  mit  INIandlen 
Saneii  die  beste  8-cliore,  — 
Jaiikele  wet  lenien  Tore, 
Tore  wet  er  lerneii, 
Briewelach  wet  er  schreiben, 
Un'  an  ehrlicher  Jiid' 
Wet  er  af  tomid  verbleiben. 

Behind  Jacob's  cradle  there  stands  a  clear  white  goat :  the  goat 
has  gone  a-bartering  raisins  and  almonds.  Raisins  and  almonds 
are  the  best  wares, — Jacob  will  stndy  the  Law,  the  Law  he  will 
study,  letters  he  will  write,  and  an  honest  Jew  he  will  forever 
remain. 

But  commerce  and  learning  are  not  for  girls.  They 
are  generally  incapacitated  for  the  first  by  their  onerous 
duties  of  home ;  and  learning,  at  least  a  knowledge  of 
the  Sacred  language  and  its  lore,  has  never  been  re- 
garded as  a  requisite  of  woman.  She  received  her 
religious  instruction  and  ethical  training  by  means  of 
Judeo-German  books  which  owe  their  very  origin  to 
the  necessity  of  educating  her.  The  name  of  the  script 
in  which  all  these  books  of  the  past  three  centuries  are 
printed  is  Weiherdeutsch,  indicating  at  once  the  use  to 
which  it  was  put.  The  title-pages  of  the  works  gener- 
ally tell  that  they  are  'gar  hiibsch  bescheidlich  far 
f  rumme  Weiber  un'  Maidlich,'  or  that  '  die  Weiber  un' 
Meidlich  di  Weil  damit  vertreiben  die  heiligen  Tiig.' 
The  Biblical  injunction  '  fructify  and  multi^jly  yourself ' 
invests  family  life  with  a  special  sacred ness,  throws  a 
gloom  over  the  childless  home,  and  leads  this  people  to 
regard  motherhood  as  the  ideal  state  of  the  Jewish 
woman.  All  these  sentiments  find  frequent  expres- 
sions in  their  songs,  and  wliile  the  infant  boy  is  lulled 
to  sleep  with  a  recitation  of  ]iis  future  manly  virtues, 


56  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

the  baby  girl  hears  in  her  cradle,  '  In  the  month  of 
Tamuz,  my  little  lady,  you  will  become  a  mother  !  ' 

Childhood  alone  claims  exemption  from  oppressing 
thoughts  and  gloom  :  childhood  must  have  its  merri- 
ments, its  pranks,  its  wantonness,  no  matter  how  seri- 
ous life  is  to  become  later,  or  how  soon  it  is  to  be  ended. 
With  the  Jew  youth,  indeed,  lasts  but  '  an  hour,'  and 
in  after-life  he  has  many  an  occasion  to  regret  its  short 

duration : 

Jahren  kleine,  Jahren  schoene, 

Was  sent  ihr  aso  wenig  da? 

Ihr  sent  nor  gekummen, 

Me  hat  euch  schoen  aufgenummen, 

Un'  sent  nor  gewe'n  bei  uns  ein  Scho? 

Jahren  junge,  Jahren  g'ringe, 
Was  sent  ihr  as5  gich  aweg  ? 
Es  seht  euch  nit  kein  Angel, 
Es  derjagen  euch  nit  die  Voegel, 
Ihr  sent  aweg  gar  ohn'  ein  Eck' ! 

Little  years,  beautiful  years,  why  are  there  so  few  of  you  ?  You 
had  scarcely  come,  you  were  well  received,  and  you  stayed  but  au 
hour  with  us  !  —  Young  years,  light  years,  why  have  you  passed  so 
quickly?  Not  an  eye  can  see  you,  not  a  bird  can  fly  as  swiftly, 
you  have  passed  without  return ! 

The  number  of  ditties  sung  by  children  is  very  great. 
They  do  not  in  general  differ  from  similar  popular  pro- 
ductions of  other  nations,  either  in  form  or  content  ; 
some  are  evidently  identical  with  German  songs,  while 
a  few  are  Slavic  borrowings. 

But  there  are  two  classes  of  songs  peculiarly  Jewish: 
the  mnemonic  lines  for  the  study  of  Hebrew  words, 
and  those  that  depict  the  ideal  course  of  a  boy's  life. 
To  the  second  belongs  : 

A  kleine  Weile  wollen  niir  spielen, 

Deni  Kind  in  Cheeder  wollen  niir  fiihren. 


THE   FOLKSONG  57 

Wet  er  lerneu  a  Pfiar  Schures, 
Wdllen  niir  horeii  gate  Pschures, 
Gute  Pscliures  iiiit  viel  IMailes, 
Zu  der  Chupe  paskeuen  Schailes. 
's  'et  seiu  gefallen  der  gaiizer  Welt, 
Chossen-kale  —  a  viille  Geld, 
A  vuUe  Geld  niit  IMasel-broche, 
Chossen-kale  —  a  schoeue  JMischpocIie, 
Schoeiie  JMisclipoche  mit  schoenem  Trest, 
Abgestellt  auf  drei  Jahr  Kost. 

A  little  while  we  shall  play,  we  shall  lead  the  child  to  school; 
there  he  will  learn  a  few  lines,  and  we  shall  get  good  reports,  good 
reports  with  many  good  things,  and  he  will  settle  religious  disputes 
upon  his  wedding  day.  The  whole  world  will  be  satisfied,  —  bride- 
groom and  bride  —  a  purse  full  of  money  ;  full  of  money,  may  it 
bring  blessings ;  bridegroom  and  bride  —  a  fine  family ;  a  fine 
family  with  fine  apparel,  and  at  their  house  you'll  stay  three 
years. 

The  man's  career  used  to  run  in  just  such  a  stereo- 
typed manner :  at  a  tender  age,  when  children  have 
not  yet  learned  to  properly  articulate  their  speech,  he 
was  sent  to  the  Cheeder,  the  elementary  Jewish  school ; 
long  before  the  romantic  feeling  has  its  rise  in  youth, 
he  was  betrothed  and  married  ;  but  unable  to  earn  a 
livelihood  for  the  family  with  which  he  prayed  to  be 
blessed,  he  had  to  stay  for  a  number  of  years  with  his 
parents  or  parents-in-law,  eating  '  Kost,'  or  board ;  this 
time  he  generally  passed  in  the  Talmud  school,  perfect- 
ing himself  in  the  casuistry  of  religious  discussion, 
while  the  woman  at  once  began  to  care  for  her  ever- 
increasing  family.  Under  such  conditions  love  could 
not  flourish,  at  least  not  that  romantic  love  of  which 
the  young  Gentiles  dream  and  which  finds  its  utterance 
in  their  popular  poetry.  The  word  'love'  does  not 
exist  in  the  Judeo-German  dictionary,  and  wherever 
that  feeling,  with  which  they  have  become  acquainted 


58  YIDDISH   LITP]RATURE 

only  since  the  middle  of  this  century,  is  to  be  named, 
the  JeAvs  have  to  use  the  German  word  'Liebe.'  The 
man's  hope  was  to  marry  into  some  'schoene  Misch- 
poche,'  a  good  and  respected  family,  while  the  girl's 
dream  was  to  get  a  husband  who  was  well  versed  in 
'  rabonische  Tore,'  i.e.  Jewish  lore.  While  the  boy,  by 
his  occupation  with  the  Bible  and  the  Talmud,  was 
taught  to  look  on  marriage  as  on  an  act  pleasing  to 
(jod,  the  girl  was  freer  to  allow  her  fancy  to  roam  in 
the  realms  bordering  on  the  sensations  of  love : 

Schoen  bin  icli,  sclioen,  un'  schoen  is'  mein  Namen: 

Redt  man  niir  Schiduchim  van  grosse  Rabonim. 

Rabonische  Tore  is'  sehr  gross, 

Un'  ich  bei  mein  Mamen  a  ziichtige  Ros'. 

A  Ros'  is'  auf  n  Dach, 

A  lichtige  Nacht, 

Wasser  is'  in  Stub,  Holz  is'  in  Haus, 

Welchen  Boclier  hab'  ich  feind,  treib'  ich  ihm  araus  1 

Fischelach  in  Wasser,  Krappelach  in  Puter, 

Welchen  Bocher  hat  mich  feind,  a  Ruch  in  sein  Mutter ! 

Pretty  I  am,  pretty,  and  pretty  is  my  name ;  they  talk  of  gi-eat 
rabbis  as  matches  for  me.  Rabbi's  learning  is  very  great,  but  I 
am  a  treasured  rose  of  my  mother's.  A  rose  upon  the  roof,  a  clear 
night ;  water  is  in  the  room,  wood  is  in  the  house,  —  If  I  love  not 
a  boy,  I  drive  him  away !  Fish  in  the  water,  fritters  in  butter,  — 
If  a  boy  love  me  not,  cursed  be  his  mother  ! 

But  such  an  exultation  of  free  choice  could  be  only 
passing,  as  the  match  was  made  without  consulting  her 
feelings  in  the  matter ;  her  greatest  concern  was  that 
she  might  be  left  an  old  maid,  while  her  companions 
passed  into  the  ordained  state  of  matrimony.  Songs 
embodying  this  fear  are  quite  common ;  the  following 
is  one  of  them  : 

Sitz'  ich  mir  auf'n  Stein, 

Nemmt  mir  an  a  trross  Gewein: 


THE   FOLKSONG  69 

AUe  Maedlach  haben  Chassene, 

Nor  ich  bleib'  allein. 

Oi  well,  jMoigenstern  1 

Wenu  well  ich  a  Kale  wer'n, 

Zi  heuut,  zi  morgeii  ? 

A  schoene  Maedel  bin  ich  doch 

Un'  a  reichen  Taten  hab'  ich  doch  I 

I  sit  upon  a  stone,  and  am  seized  by  great  weeping :  all  girls  get 
married,  but  I  remain  single.  Woe  to  me,  morning  star !  When 
shall  I  become  a  bride,  to-day  or  to-morrow  ?  I  surely  am  a  pretty 
girl,  and  I  have  a  rich  father  ! 

In  the  more  modern  songs  in  which  the  word  '  love ' 
is  used,  that  word  represents  the  legitimate  inclination 
for  the  opposite  sex  which  culminates  in  marriage. 

Now  that  love  and  love  matches  are  not  uncommon, 
it  is  again  woman  who  is  the  strongest  advocate  of 
them ;  love  songs  addressed  by  men  to  women  are  rare, 
and  they  may  be  recited  with  equal  propriety  by  the 
latter.  The  chief  characteristic  of  woman's  love,  as 
expressed  in  them,  is  constancy  and  depth  of  feeling. 

Schwarz  bist  du,  schwarz,  aso  wie  a  Zigeuner, 

Ich  hab'  gemeint,  as  du  we'st  sein  meiner ; 

Schwarz  bist  du,  aber  mit  Cheen, 

Fiir  wemen  du  bist  mies,  fiir  mir  bist  du  schoen ; 

Schoen  bist  du  wie  Silber,  wie  Gold,  — 

Wer  's  hat  dich  feind  un'  ich  hab'  dich  hold. 

Vun  alle  Fehlern  kiinn  a  Doktor  abheilen. 

Die  Liebe  vun  mein  Herzen  kann  ich  var  Keinem  nit  derzaehlen. 

Black  you  are,  black  as  a  Gypsy,  I  thought  you  would  always 
be  mine;  black  you  are,  but  wdth  grace,  —  for  others  you  may  be 
homely,  but  for  me  you  are  handsome ;  handsome  you  are,  like 
silver,  like  gold,  —  let  others  dislike  you,  but  I  love  you.  Of  all 
troubles  a  doctor  can  cure,  the  love  in  my  heart  I  can  tell  to  no  one. 

Many  are  the  songs  of  pining  for  the  distant  lover ; 
they  show  all  the  melancholy  touches  of  similar  Slavic 


60  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

love  ditties,  and  are  the  most  poetical  of  all  the  Jewish 
songs.  They  range  from  the  soft  regrets  of  the  lover's 
temporary  absence  to  the  deep  and  gloomy  despair  of 
the  betrothed  one's  death,  though  the  latter  is  always 
tempered  by  a  resignation  which  comes  from  implicit 
faith  in  the  ways  of  Heaven.  Here  are  a  few  of  them 
in  illustration  of  the  various  forms  which  this  pining 

assumes : 

Bei  'm  Breg  Wassev  thii'  ich  stehn 
Un'  kiiiin  zu  dir  iiit  kunimen, 
Oi,  vun  weiten  rufst  du  mich, 
Ich  k'tiiin  aber  nit  scliwimmen  ! 

At  the  water's  edge  I  do  stand,  and  I  cannot  get  to  you.    Oh, 
you  call  me  from  afar,  but  I  cannot  swim  I 

Finster  is'  mein'  Welt, 
Mein'  Jugend  is'  schwarz, 
Mein  Gliick  is'  verstellt, 
Es  fault  mir  mein  Ilarz. 

Es  zittert  mir  jetwider  Eewer, 
Es  kiihlt  mir  das  Blut, 
Mit  dir  in  ein  Keewer 
Wet  mir  sein  gut. 

Ach,  was  willst  du,  Mutter,  haben, 
Was  mutschest  du  dein  Kind? 
Was  willst  du  mir  begraben  ? 
Fiir  wassere  SUnd'  ? 

Ich  hab'  kcin  Nachas  geha't, 
Nor  Leiden  un'  Kummer, 
Ich  wclk'  wie  ein  Blatt, 
Wie  ein  Bhim'  Ssof  Summer. 

Wu  nemm'  ich  mein'  Freund 
Chotsch  auf  ein  Scho  ? 
Alle  haben  mir  feind 
Un'  du  bist  nit  dil ! 

Dark  is  my  workl ;  my  youtli  is  black,  my  fortune  is  veiled,  my 
heart  is  decaying.  —  Every  limb  of  mine  is  trembling;  my  blood 


THE   FOLKSONG  61 

grows  cold;  I  should  feel  well  with  you  in  one  grave.  —  Oh,  what 
do  you  want  of  me,  mother?  Why  do  you  vex  your  child?  "Why 
do  3'ou  wish  to  bury  me?  For  what  sins  of  mine?  —  I  have  had 
no  joy,  only  suffering  and  sorrow.  I  am  fading  like  a  leaf,  like  a 
flower  at  the  end  of  summer.  —  Where  shall  1  find  my  friend  but 
for  one  hour?     No  one  loves  me,  and  you  are  not  here. 

With  the  same  feeling  that  prompts  the  Jewish 
woman  to  repeat  the  prayer,  '  O  Lord,  I  tliank  Thee 
that  Thou  hast  created  me  according  to  Thy  will  !  ' 
while  the  man  prays,  '  I  thank  Thee  that  Thou  hast 
created  me  a  man,'  she  regards  her  disappointments  in 
love  as  perfectly  natural;  and  the  inconstancy  of  man, 
which  forms  the  subject  of  all  songs  of  unhappy  love, 
does  not  call  forth  recriminations  and  curses,  which  one 
would  expect,  but  only  regrets  at  her  own  credulity. 

One  would  imagine  that  the  wedding  day  must  ap- 
pear as  the  happiest  in  the  life  of  the  woman,  but  such 
is  not  the  case.  With  it  begin  all  the  tribulations  for 
which  she  is  singled  out;  and  the  jest-maker,  who  is 
always  present  at  the  ceremony  of  uniting  the  pair, 
addresses  the  bride  with  the  words: 

Bride,  bride,  weep !  The  bridegroom  will  send  you  a  pot  full 
of  horseradish,  and  that  will  make  you  snivel  unto  your  very 
teeth, 

inviting  her  to  weep  instead  of  smiling,  and  he  follows 
this  doggerel  with  a  discussion  of  the  vanities  of  life 
and  the  sadness  of  woman's  lot.  Even  if  her  marital 
happiness  should  be  unmarred  by  any  unfaithfulness  of 
her  husband,  —  and  Jewish  men  for  the  greater  part 
are  good  husbands  and  fathers,  —  there  are  the  cares  of 
earning  the  daily  bread,  which  frequently  fall  on  the 
woman,  while  the  stronger  vessel  is  brooding  over  some 
Talmudical  subtleties  ;  there  are  the  eternal  worries  over 
the  babies,  and,  worst  of  all,  the  proverbial  mother-in- 


62  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

law,  if  the  wife  chances  to  board  with  her  for  the  first 
few  years  after  marriage.  The  ideal  of  the  Jewess  is 
but  a  passing  dream,  and  no  one  can  escape  the  awaken- 
ing to  a  horrible  reality  : 

A  Maedele  werd  a  Kale 
In  ein  Rege,  in  ein  Minut, 
Mit  ihr  freuen  sich  Alle 
Die  Freud'  is'  nor  zu  ihr. 

Der  Chossen  schickt  Presenten, 
Sie  werd  gar  neu  geboren, 
Wenn  sie  thut  sich  an, 
Wiinscht  sie  ihm  lange  Jahren. 

Sie  geht  mit  'n  Chossen  spazieren 
Un'  thut  in  Spiegele  a  Kuck, 
Stehen  Oleni  Menschen 
Un'  seinen  mekane  dem  Gluck. 

Ot  fiihrt  man  sie  zu  der  Chupe, 
Un'  ot  fiihrt  man  sie  zuriick, 
Stehen  a  Kupe  Maedlach 
Un'  seinen  mekane  dem  GlUck. 

Auf  morgen  nach  der  Chupe, 
Die  Freimut  is'  noch  in  Ganzen : 
Der  Chossen  sitzt  wie  a  Meelach 
Un'  die  Kale  geht  sich  tauzen. 

Drei  Jahr  nach  der  Chupe 
Der  Freimut  is  schon  arab  : 
Die  junge  Weibel  geht  arum 
Mit  a  zudrehter  Kopp. 

"  Oi  well,  IMutter,  Mutter, 
Ich  will  vun  dir  nit  horen, 
Ich  wollt'  schon  besser  wbllen 
Zuriick  a  Maedel  wer'n ! " 

A  girl  is  made  a  bride  in  a  moment,  in  a  minute,  —  all  rejoice 
Avith  her,  with  her  alone.  —  The  groom  sends  presents,  she  feels  all 
new-born;  when  she  attires  herself,  she  wishes  him  long  years. — 


THE   FOLKSONG  63 

She  gets  ready  to  walk  witli  the  bridegroom,  and  looks  into  the 
mirror,  —  there  stands  a  crowd  of  people  who  envy  her  her  good 
luck.  —  Now  she  is  led  to  the  baldachin,  now  she  is  led  back  again, 
—  there  stands  a  bevy  of  girls  who  envy  her  her  luck.  —  The  next 
day  after  the  marriage,  —  the  joy  is  still  with  them :  the  bride- 
groom sits  like  a  king,  the  bride  is  a-dancing.  —  Three  years  after 
the  marriage,  —  the  joy  has  left  them:  the  j'oung  woman  walks 
around  with  a  troubled  head.  .  .  .  '  AVoe  to  me,  mother,  mother,  I 
do  not  want  to  hear  of  you,  —  I  should  like,  indeed,  to  be  a  young 
girl  again.' 

Pathetic  are  the  recitals  of  suffering  at  tlie  house  of 
her  husband's  parents,  where  she  is  treated  worse  than 
a  menial,  where  she  is  without  the  love  of  a  mother  to 
whom  she  is  attached  more  than  to  any  one  else,  and 
where  she  ends  miserably  her  young  years  :  ^ 

Mein'  Tochter,  wu  bist  du  gewesen? 
Bei  'm  Schwieger  un'  Schwahr, 
Was  brummt  wie  a  Bar, 
Mutter  du  liebe,  du  meine  I 

Mein  Tochterl,  awu  hast  du  dorten  gesessen  ? 
Auf  a  Bank, 
Keinmal  nit  geramt, 
Mutter  du  liebe,  du  meine ! 

Mein'  Tochter,  awu  hast  du  dorten  geschlafen  ? 

Auf  der  Erd, 

Keinmal  nit  gekehrt,  etc. 

Tochterulu,  was  hat  man  dh"  gegeben  zu  Koppen? 

A  Sackele  Heu, 

In  Harzen  is'  weh,  etc. 

Tochterulu,  in  was  hat  man  dir  gefUhrt? 
In  kowanem  Wagen, 
Mit  Eisen  beschlagen,  etc. 

1  See  the  prototype  of  this  song  in  K.  Francke,  Social  Forces  in  Ger- 
man Literature,  p.  120. 


64  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

Tochteil,  iiber  was  hat  man  dir  gefiihrt ? 
tiber  a  Brlick', 
Keiumal  nit  zuviick,  etc. 

Tochterulii,  niit  was  hat  man  dir  gefiihrt? 

IMit  a  Ferd, 

Jung  in  der  p]rd', 

Mutter  du  liebe,  du  meine  ! 

]\Iy  daughter,  where  have  you  been?  —  At  mother-in-law's  and 
father-in-law's,  who  growls  like  a  bear,  mother  dear,  mother  mine ! 
—  ]\Iy  daughter,  where  did  you  sit  there  ?  —  Upon  a  bench  never 
cleaned,  mother  dear,  mother  mine!  —  My  daughter,  where  did 
you  sleep  there  ?  —  Upon  the  ground,  never  swept,  etc.  —  Daughter 
dear,  what  did  they  lay  under  your  head?  —  A  bag  of  hay,  in  my 
heart  there  is  a  pain,  etc.  —  Daughter  dear,  in  what  did  they  drive 
you  ?  —  In  a  wagon  covered  with  iron  bands,  etc.  —  ])aughter 
dear,  over  what  did  they  lead  you  ?  —  Over  a  bridge,  never  back, 
etc.  —  Daughter  dear,  with  what  did  they  drive  you?  —  With  a 
horse,  young  into  the  earth,  mother  dear,  mother  mine ! 

Equally  pathetic  are  the  songs  that  sing  of  widow- 
hood. This  is  a  far  more  common  occurrence  among 
Jews  than  among  other  people  and  causes  much  greater 
inconveniences  to  the  helpless  woman.  It  is  caused 
either  by  the  natural  occurrences  of  death  or  by  self- 
assumed  exile  to  escape  military  service  which  is  natu- 
rally not  to  the  tastes  of  the  Jew,  as  we  shall  see  later, 
or  frequently  by  ruthless  abandonment.  This  latter 
case  is  the  result  of  early  marriages  in  which  the  con- 
tracting parties  are  not  considered  as  to  their  tastes  ; 
often  the  J'oung  man  finds  awakening  in  himself  an 
inclination  for  higher,  Gentile,  culture,  but  he  finds  his 
path  impeded  by  the  ties  of  family  and  the  gross  inter- 
ests of  his  consort.  If  he  can,  he  gets  a  divorce  from 
her,  but  more  frequently  he  leaves  her  without  further 
ado,  escaping  to  Germany  or  America  to  pursue  his 
studies.     His  wife  is  made  an  Agune,  a  grass-widow, 


THE  FOLKSONG  65 

who,  according  to  the  Mosaic  hiw,  may  not  marry  again 
until  his  death  has  been  dul}'  certified  to  : 

Auf'n  Barg  steht  a  Taiibele, 
Sie  thut  mit  ihr  Paar  brumineii, 
Ich  hab'  geha't  a  guten  Freund 
Un'  kann  zu  ihm  nit  kummen. 

Bachen  Trahreu  thueu  sich 
Vun  meine  Augeu  rinnen, 
Ich  bin  gebliebeu  wie  a  Spiindele 
Auf  dem  Wasser  schwimnien. 

Gar  die  Welt  is  auf  uiir  gefallen, 
Seit  ich  bin  geblieben  allein, 
Sitz'  ich  docli  Tag  un'  Nacht 
Jammerlich  un'  wein'. 

Teichen  Tr'ahren  thuen  sich 
Rinnen  vun  meine  Augen, 
Teh  soil  haben  Fliegelach, 
Wollt'  ich  zu  ihin  geflogen. 

Legt  sich,  Kinderlach,  alle  arum  mir, 
Euer  Tate  is'  vun  euch  vertrieben. 
Kleine  Jessomim  sent  ihr  doch 
Un'  ich  bin  ein  Almone  geblieben. 

On  the  mountain  stands  a  dove  ;  she  is  cooing  to  her  brood :  I 
have  had  a  good  friend,  and  I  cannot  get  to  him.  —  Brooks  of  tears 
flow  out  of  my  eyes ;  I  am  left  like  a  j^iece  of  wood  swimming  on 
the  water.  —  The  whole  world  has  fallen  upon  me  since  I  am  left 
alone  ;  I  sit  day  and  night  and  weep  bitterly.  —  Rivers  of  tears  pour 
forth  from  my  eyes.  If  I  had  wings  I  should  fly  to  him.  —  Lie 
down,  children,  all  around  me !  Your  father  has  been  taken  away 
from  you :  You  are  now  young  orphans,  and  I  am  left  a  widow. 

As  sad  as  the  widow's  is  the  lot  of  the  orphan. 
Fatherless  and  motherless,  he  seems  to  be  in  every- 
body's way,  and  no  matter  what  he  does,  he  is  not 
appreciated  by  those  he  comes  in  contact  with.  There 
are  many  songs  of  the  dying  motlier  who  finds  her  last 


6Q  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

inoments  embittered  by  the  thought  that  her  children 
will  suffer  privations  and  oppression  from  their  step- 
mother and  from  other  unkind  people.  There  are  also 
beggar's  songs  which  tell  that  the  singers  were  driven 
to  beggary  through  loss  of  parents.  The  following 
verses,  touching  in  their  simplicity,  recite  the  sad 
plight  of  an  orphan  : 

Wasser  schaumt,  Wasser  schaumt, 
Thut  man  gaiiz  weit  horen, — 
Wenn  es  starbt  der  Vater-Mutter, 
Giesst  der  Jossem  mit  Trahren. 

Der  Jossem  geht,  der  Jossem  geht, 
Der  Jossem  thut  gar  umsiist,  — 
Leut'  schatzen,  Leut'  sagen, 
As  der  Jossem  taug'  gar  nischt. 

Der  Jossem  geht,  der  Jossem  geht, 

Un'  in  Zar  un'  in  Pein,  — 

Leut'  schatzen,  Leut'  sagen, 

As  der  Jossem  is'  schicker  vun  Wein. 

Bei  meine  Freund',  bei  meine  Freund' 
Wachst  Welz  un'  Korner,  — 
Bei  mir  Jossem,  bei  mir  Jossem 
Wachst  doch  Gras  un'  Dorner. 

Gottunju,  Gottunju, 

Gottunju  du  mein, 

Was  hast  du  mich  nit  beschaffen 

Mit  dem  Masel  wie  meine  Freund  ? 

Water  foams,  water  foams,  one  can  hear  afar.  When  father 
and  mother  die  the  orphan  sheds  tears.  —  The  orphan  goes,  the 
orjihan  goes,  the  orphan  does  all  in  vain.  People  judge,  people  say 
that  the  orphan  is  good  for  nothing.  —  The  orplian  goes,  the  orplum 
goes,  in  pain  and  in  sorrow.  People  judge,  people  say  that  the 
orphan  is  drunk  with  wine. — With  my  friends,  with  my  friends 
there  grows  wheat  and  grain.  AVith  nie,  orphan,  with  me,  orphan, 
there  grow  but  grass  and  thorns.  —  Dear  God,  dear  God,  dear  God 
of  mine !  Why  have  you  not  created  me  with  the  same  luck  as  my 
fripuds  have? 


THE   FOLKSONG  67 

The  tender  feelings  of  love,  replete  with  sorrows  and 
despair,  are  left  almost  entirely  to  women ;  men  are  too 
busy  to  sing  of  love,  or  less  romantic  in  their  natures. 
But  they  are  not  entirely  devoid  of  the  poetic  sentiment, 
and  they  join  the  weaker  sex  in  rhythmic  utterance, 
whenever  they  are  stirred  to  it  by  unusual  incidents 
that  break  in  on  their  favorite  attitude  of  contemplation 
and  peaceful  occupations.  Such  are  military  service,  the 
pogroms^  or  mob  violence,  and  riots  periodically  insti- 
tuted against  the  Jewish  population,  expatriation,  and 
the  awful  days  of  Atonement.  On  these  occasions  they 
rise  to  all  the  height  of  feeling  that  we  have  found  in 
the  other  productions,  and  the  expression  of  their 
attachment  to  their  parents,  wives,  and  children  is 
just  as  tender  and  pathetic.  The  Russian  Jew  is  nat- 
urally averse  to  the  profession  of  war.  He  is  not  at 
all  a  coward,  as  was  demonstrated  in  the  Russo-Turkish 
War,  in  which  he  performed  many  a  deed  of  bravery ; 
but  what  can  be  his  interest  to  fight  for  a  country 
which  hardly  recognizes  him  as  a  citizen  and  in  which 
he  cannot  rise  above  the  lowest  ranks  in  civil  offices 
or  in  the  army,  although  he  is  called  to  shed  his  blood 
on  an  equal  footing  with  his  Christian  or  Tartar  fel- 
low-soldier ?  Before  the  reign  of  Nicholas  he  was  re- 
garded beyond  the  pale  of  the  country's  attention  and 
below  contempt  as  a  warrior ;  he  was  expected  to  pay 
toward  the  support  of  the  country,  but  was  not  allowed 
to  be  its  defender  in  times  of  war.  He  easily  acqui- 
esced in  this  state  of  affairs,  and  learned  to  regard  the 
payment  of  taxes  as  a  necessary  evil  and  the  exemption 
from  enlistment  as  a  privilege.  Things  all  of  a  sudden 
changed  with  the  ukase  of  Emperor  Nicholas,  by  which 
not  only  military  service  was  imposed  on  all  the  Jews 
of  the  realm,  but  the  most  atrocious  regime  was  inaugu- 


68  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

rated  to  seize  the  persons  who  might  elude  the  vigilance 
of  the  authorities.  A  whole  regiment  of  diapers^  or 
catcliers,  were  busy  searching  out  the  whereabouts  of 
men  of  military  age,  tearing  violently  men  from  wives, 
fathers  from  infant  children,  minors  from  their  parents. 
The  terror  was  still  increased  by  the  order  of  '  canton- 
ment,' by  which  young  children  of  tender  age  were 
stolen  from  their  mothers  to  be  sent  into  distant  prov- 
inces to  be  farmed  out  to  peasants,  where  it  was  hoped 
they  would  forget  their  Hebrew  origin  and  would  be 
easily  led  into  the  folds  of  the  Greek-Catholic  Church.^ 
This  sad  state  of  affairs  is  described  in  a  long  poem, 
a  kind  of  a  rhymed  chronicle  of  the  event ;  it  lies  at 
the  foundation  of  many  later  lyrical  expressions  dealing 
with  the  aversion  to  military  service,  even  at  a  time 
when  it  was  divested  of  the  horrors  of  Nicholas'  regime. 
Under  the  best  conditions,  the  time  spent  in  the  service 
of  the  Czar  might  have  been  more  profitably  used  for 
the  study  of  the  Bible  and  commentaries  to  the  same,  is 
the  conclusion  of  several  of  such  poems  : 

Ich  geh'  arauf  auf'n  Gass' 
Derlangt  man  a  Geschrei :  "  A  Pass,  a  Pass !  " 
A  Pass,  a  Pass  hab'  ich  gethan  verlieren, 
Thut  man  mir  in  Prijom  areinfiihren. 
Fiihrt  man  mir  arein  in  ersten  Cheeder, 
Thut  m'an  mir  aus  mein'  Mutters  Kleider. 

Och  un'  weh  is'  mir  nischt  geschehn, 

Was  ich  hab'  mir  nit  arumgesehn  ! 

Fiihrt  man  mir  arein  in  andern  Cheeder, 
Thut  man  mir  an  soldatske  Kleider. 
Och  un'  weh  is'  mir  nit  geschehn,  etc. 

1  See  p.  142  ff.  ;  add  to  these  A.  M.  Dick,  Dcr  soldatske  Syn.  Wihia, 
1876,  lOino,  108  pp.,  which  gives  a  graphic  description  of  the  career  of 
a  cantonist. 


THE  FOLKSONG  69 

Fiihrt  man  niir  uieiu  in  Schul'  scluvoren, 
Giesst  sicli  vun  iiiir  Teiclien  Trahren. 
Och  uu'  weh  is  inir  nit  gescheliu,  etc. 

Ehder  zu  tragen  dein  Keissers  Hiitel, 
Besser  zu  lernen  dem  Kapitel, 

Och  uii'  weh  is'  mir  nit  geschehn,  etc. 

Ehder  zu  essen  dem  Keissers  Kasche, 
Besser  zu  lernen  Churaesch  mit  Rasche. 

Och  un'  weh  is  mir  nit  geschehn, 

Was  ich  hab'  mir  nit  arumgesehn  ! 

I  walk  in  the  street,  —  they  cry  :  "  A  passport,  a  passport !  " 
The  passport,  the  passport  I  have  lost.  They  take  me  to  the  en- 
listing office.  They  lead  me  into  the  first  room.  They  take  off  the 
clothes  my  mother  made  me.  Woe  unto  me  that  I  have  not  be- 
thought myself  in  time  !  —  They  lead  me  into  the  second  room ; 
they  put  on  me  a  soldier's  uniform.  Woe  unto  me,  etc.  —  They 
lead  me  into  the  synagogue  to  take  my  oath,  and  rivers  of  tears 
roll  down  my  face.  Woe  imto  me,  etc.  —  Rather  than  wear  the  cap 
of  the  Czar  —  to  study  a  chapter  of  religious  lore.  Woe  unto  me, 
etc.  —  Rather  than  eat  the  Czar's  buckwheat  mush  —  to  study  the 
Bible  with  its  commentaries.  Woe  unto  me  that  I  have  not  be- 
thought myself  in  time  1 

Other  soldier  songs  begin  with  a  detailed  farewell 
to  parents,  brothers,  sisters,  and  friends,  after  which 
follows  a  recital  of  the  many  privations  to  which  the 
Jewish  soldier  will  be  subjected ;  in  all  of  these,  the 
forced  absence  from  wife  or  bride  is  regarded  as  the 
greatest  evil. 

The  cup  of  bitterness  has  never  been  empty  for  the 
Jews  that  inhabit  the  present  Russian  Empire  ;  they 
had  been  persecuted  by  Poland,  massacred  by  the 
Cossacks,  and  are  now  exiled  from  the  central  prov- 
inces of  Russia.  Each  massacre,  each  'pogrom,'  has 
given  rise  to  several  poems,  in  which  God  is  invoked 
to  save  them  from  their  cruel  tormentors,  or  in  which 


70  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

tliere  are  given  graphic  descriptions  of  the  atrocities 
perpetrated  on  the  unwary.  Like  the  soklier  songs, 
they  vary  in  form  from  the  chronicle  in  rhymes  to  the 
metrical  lyric  of  modern  times.  The  oldest  recorded 
rhymed  chronicle  of  this  kind  is  the  one  that  tells  of 
the  blood  bath  instituted  in  the  Ukraine  in  the  middle 
of  last  century.  The  simple,  unadorned  recital  of  in- 
humanities concocted  by  the  fertile  imagination  of  a 
Gonto,  a  Silo,  a  Maxim  Zhelezniak,  produces  a  more 
awful  effect  than  any  studied  poem  could  do.^ 

It  is  no  wonder,  then,  that  the  Jew  takes  a  gloomy 
view  of  life,  and  that  whenever  he  rises  to  any  gener- 
alizations, he  gives  utterance  to  the  blackest  pessimism. 
One  such  poem  depicts  the  vanities  of  human  life,  into 
which  one  is  born  as  into  a  prison,  from  which  one  is 
freed  at  best  at  the  Biblical  age  of  three  score  and  ten, 
to  leave  all  the  gold  and  silver  to  the  surviving  orphans. 
There  is  but  one  consolation  in  life,  and  that  is,  that 
Tore^  '  learning,'  will  do  one  as  much  good  in  the  other 
world  as  it  does  in  this.  And  yet,  under  all  these  dis- 
tressing circumstances,  the  Jew  finds  pleasure  in  whole- 
hearted laughter.  His  comical  ditties  may  be  divided 
into  two  classes,  —  those  in  which  he  laughs  at  his 
own  weaknesses,  and  those  in  which  he  ridicules  the 
weaknesses  of  the  Khassidim,  the  fanatical  sect,  among 
wliom  the  Rabbis  are  worshipped  as  saints  and  are 
supposed  to  work  miracles.  This  sect  is  very  numerous 
in  Poland  and  South  Russia,  is  very  ignorant,  and  has 
opposed  progress  longer  than  the  INIisnagdim,  to  which 
sect  the  other  German  Jews  in  Russia  belong.  As  an 
example  of  the  first  class  may  serve  a  poem  in  which 
poverty  is  made  light  of: 

1  Cf.  Dr.  Sokolowski,  Die  Gseere  vun  Gonto  in  Uman  ?<»'  Ukraine, 
in  Volksbibliothek,  Vol.  II.  pp.  53-00. 


THE   FOLKSONG  71 

Ferd'  hab'  ich  vuu  Paris  : 
Drei  ohn'  Kopp',  zwei  ohn'  Fiiss'. 
Ladrizem  bam,  ladrizem  bam. 

A  Rock  hal)'  ich  vmi  guteu  Tuch, 
Ich  hab'  van  ihm  kein  Brdckel  Duch. 
Ladrizem,  etc. 

Stiewel  hab'  ich  vun  giiten  Leder, 
Ich  hab'  vun  see  kein  Brockel  Feder. 
Ladrizem,  etc. 

Kinder  hab'  ich  a  drei  Tuz', 
Ich  hab'  vun  see  kein  Brockel  Nutz. 
Ladrizem,  etc. 

Jetzt  hab'  ich  sich  arumgetracht 
Un'  hab'  vun  see  a  Barg  Asch'  gemacht. 
Ladrizem  bam,  ladrizem  bam. 

Horses  I  have  from  Paris,  three  without  heads,  and  two  without 
feet,  —  ladrizem  bam,  etc.  —  A  coat  I  have  of  good  cloth,  —  I  have 
not  a  trace  left  of  it.  —  Boots  I  have  of  good  leather,  not  a 
feather's  weight  have  I  left  of  them.  —  Children  I  have  some  three 
dozen,  —  I  get  no  good  out  of  them. — So  I  fell  a-thinking  and 
made  a  heap  of  ashes  of  them. 

The  sensuality,  intemperance,  and  profound  igno- 
rance and  superstition  of  the  Rehe^  or  Rabbi,  of  the 
Khassidim,  and  the  credulity  and  lightheartedness  of 
his  followers,  form,  perhaps,  the  subject  of  the  most 
poems  in  the  Judeo-German  language,  as  they  also  form 
the  main  subject  of  attack  in  the  written  literature  of 
the  last  forty  years. 


V.    PRINTED   POPULAR   POETRY 

The  author  of  a  recent  work  on  the  history  of  cul- 
ture among  the  Galician  Jews  ^  has  pointed  out  how  at 
the  end  of  the  last  century  the  Mendelssohnian  Reform, 
and  with  it  worldly  education,  took  its  course  through 
Austria  into  Galicia,  to  appear  half  a  century  later  in 
Russia.  This  quicker  awakening  in  the  South  was  not 
due  to  geographical  position  alone,  but  in  a  higher 
degree  to  political  and  social  causes  as  well.  The  lan- 
guage of  enliglitenment  was  at  first  naturally  enough  a 
modernized  form  of  the  Hebrew,  for  the  literary  German 
was  not  easily  accessible  to  the  Jews  of  Galicia  in  the 
period  immediately  following  the  division  of  Poland. 
Besides,  although  books  had  been  printed  in  Judeo- 
German  for  the  use  of  women  and  '  less  knowing '  men, 
the  people  with  higher  culture,  to  whom  alone  the 
Mendelssohnian  Reform  could  appeal,  looked  with  dis- 
dain on  the  profane  dialect  of  daily  intercourse.  When, 
however,  the  time  had  come  to  carry  the  new  instruction 
to  the  masses,  the  latter  had  become  sufficiently  familiar 
with  the  German  language  to  be  able  to  dispense  Avith 
the  intermediary  native  Jargon. ^  Consequently  little 
opportunity  was  offered  here  for  the  development  of  a 
dialect  literature. 

1  Max  Weissberg,  Die  ncnhebrdische  Anfklanings-literatur  in  Gali- 
zien.  Eine  literar-historische  Charakteristik.  Leipzig  und  "Wien, 
1898,  8vo,  88  pp. 

2  The  first  two  weeklies  of  Galicia,  the  Zeitung  and  Die  jiidische 
Post,  published  in  1848  and  1840  respectively,  are  not  in  the  vernacu- 
lar, but  in  a  slightly  corrupt  German. 

72 


PRINTED  POPULAR  POETRY  73 

While  the  Jews  of  the  newly  acquired  provinces 
were  becoming  more  and  more  identified  with  their 
coreligionists  of  German  Austria,  their  Russian  and 
Polish  brethren  in  the  Russian  Empire  were  by  force  of 
circumstances  departing  gradually  from  all  but  the 
religious  union  with  them,  and  were  drifting  into  en- 
tirely new  channels.  Previous  to  the  reign  of  Nicho- 
las I.,  their  civil  disabilities  barred  them  from  a  closer 
contact  in  language  and  feeling  with  their  Gentile 
fellow-citizens,  while  their  distance  from  Germany  ex- 
cluded all  intellectual  relations  with  that  country.  The 
masses  were  too  downtrodden  and  ignorant  to  develop 
out  of  themselves  any  other  forms  of  literature  than  the 
one  of  ethical  instruction  and  stories  current  in  the 
previous  century.  In  the  meanwhile  the  Haskala,  as 
the  German  school  was  called,  had  found  its  way  into 
Russia  through  Galicia,  and  such  men  as  J.  B.  Levin- 
sohn,  A.  B.  Gottlober,  M.  Gordon,  Dr.  S.  Ettinger,  had 
become  its  warmest  advocates.  They  threw  themselves 
with  all  the  ardor  of  their  natures  upon  the  new  doc- 
trine, and  tried  to  correct  the  neglected  education  of 
their  childhood  by  a  thorough  study  of  German  culture. 
It  was  but  natural  for  them  to  pass  by  the  opportuni- 
ties offered  in  their  country's  language  and  to  seek  en- 
lightenment abroad  :  the  Jews  were  a  foreign  nation  at 
home,  without  privileges  or  duties,  except  those  of  pay- 
ing taxes,  while  from  Germany,  their  former  abiding- 
place,  there  shone  forth  the  promise  of  a  salvation  from 
obscurantism  and  spiritual  death.  Henceforth  the  Avord 
'  German '  became  in  Russia  the  synonym  of  '  civilized,' 
and  a  '  German '  was  tantamount  to  '  reformed  '  and 
'  apostate '  with  the  masses,  for  to  them  culture  could 
appear  only  as  the  opposite  of  their  narrow  Ghetto  lives 
and  gross  superstition. 


74  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

The  inauguration  of  the  military  regime  by  Nicholas 
was  in  reality  only  meant  as  a  first  step  in  giving  civil 
rights  to  the  Jews  of  his  realm  ;  this  reform  was  later 
followed  by  the  establishment  of  Rabbinical  schools  at 
Wilna  and  Zhitomir,  and  the  permission  to  enter  the 
Gymnasia  and  other  institutions  of  learning.  The  Jews 
were,  however,  slow  in  taking  advantage  of  their  new 
rights,  as  they  had  become  accustomed  to  look  with 
contempt  and  fear  on  Gentile  culture,  and  as  they 
looked  with  suspicion  on  the  Danaid  gifts  of  the  gov- 
ernment. The  enlightened  minority  of  the  Haskala, 
anxious  to  lead  their  brethren  out  of  their  crass  igno- 
rance and  stubborn  opposition  to  the  cultural  efforts  of 
the  Czar,  began  to  address  them  in  the  native  dialects 
of  their  immediate  surroundings  and  to  elicit  their 
attention  almost  against  their  will.  Knowing  the 
weakness  of  the  Jews  for  tunable  songs,  they  began  to 
supply  them  with  such  in  the  popular  vein,  now  com- 
posing one  with  the  mere  intention  to  amuse,  now  to 
direct  them  to  some  new  truth. ^     These  poems,  like  the 

1  The  love  for  songs  is  very  old  with  the  German  Jews.  Stein- 
schneider's  catalogue  in  the  Serapeum  mentions  a  very  large  number 
of  songs.  See  also  L.  Lowenstein,  Jildische  itnd  jiklisch-deutsche 
Lieder,  in  Jubelschrift  zu  Ehren  des  Dr.  Hildesheimcr,  Berlin,  1890, 
pp.  126  ff.,  and  under  the  .same  title,  in  Monatschrift  far  Geschichte 
und  Wissenschaft  des  Judenthums,  Vol.  XXXVIII.  pp.  78-89;  A. 
Neubauer,  Jtidisch-deiitsches  Weingedicht,  in  Israelii  Letterbode,  Vol. 
XII.  1.  pp.  13  f.  But  the  most  thorough  work  is  by  F.  Rosenberg, 
Ueber  eine  Sammlung  deutscher  Volks-  itnd  Gesellschafts-lieder  in 
hebriiischen  Lettern,  Berlin,  1888,  8vo,  SI  pp.  That  the  modern  songs 
are  set  to  music  is  generally  indicated  in  the  title-pages  or  the  intro- 
ductions to  the  printed  collections,  as,  for  example,  Lieder  zu  siiigen 
mit  sehr  schoene  Melodien  ;  Schoeii  zum  Singen  un'  zuin  Lcsen  ;  ]\Iit 
sehr  schoene  Melodien.  In  one  of  his  books  Zunser  (see  pp.  90 ff.)  in- 
forms us  : 

Ob  ilir  k'jent  in  Buchel  meinL'  Lieder, 

Un'  die  Melodic  liiit  miiu  euch  nit  iibergegeben. 


PRINTED  POPULAR   POETRY  75 

dramas  and  prose  Avritings  by  this  school  of  writers 
previous  to  the  sixties,  were  not  written  down,  but 
passed  orally  or  in  manuscript  form  from  town  to  town, 
from  one  end  of  Russia  to  the  other,  often  changing 
their  verses  and  forming  the  basis  for  new  popular 
creations.  The  poet's  name  generally  became  disso- 
ciated from  each  particular  poem ;  nay,  in  the  lapse  of 
time  the  authors  themselves  found  it  difficult  to  iden- 
tify their  spiritual  children.  An  amusing  incident 
occurred  some  time  ago  when  the  venerable  and  highly 
reputed  poet,  J.  L.  Gordon,  had  incorporated  a  parody 
of  Heine's  '  Two  Grenadiers '  among  his  collection  of 
popular  poems,  for  a  plain  case  was  made  out  against 
him  by  the  real  parodist.  Gordon  at  once  publicly 
apologized  for  his  unwitting  theft  by  explaining  how 
he  had  found  it  in  manuscript  among  his  papers  and 
had  naturally  assumed  it  to  be  his  own  production.^ 
Another  similar  mistake  was  made  by  Gottlober's 
daughter,  who  named  to  me  a  dozen  of  current  songs 

Is'  das  -wie  a  photograpliische  Bild,  liebe  Bruder,  — 
Dacht  sich,  AUes  richtig,  nor  es  fehlt  Leben. 

Introduction  to  Hamnageen. 

"While  another,  B.  Z.  Rabinowitsch  (in  Disput  vxin  a  Schiller  mit  a 
Klaiisnik),  thinks  he  must  offer  an  apology  for  not  having  composed 
a  tune  for  his  poem  : 

Mit  was  far  a  Melodie  ihr  wet  spielen, 
WoUen  die  Worter  gewiss  nachtanzen  ! 

Zunser,  who  did  not  scruple  to  make  use  of  other  people's  property 
(see  p.  92),  objects,  in  Kol-rina,  to  the  people's  appropriation  of  his 
songs  in  the  following  words  : 

Wie  me  hat  mich  gehort  a  Mai  zu  zwei, 

Is'  scliou  gewe'n  auf  morgen  geschrieben  bei  see  : 

Es  hat  mir  vardrossen  sejer  Mtili',  'chleben, 

Un'  hab'  see  besser  a  fartigen,  a  gedruckten  gegeben. 

^Voschod,  1886,  No.  5. 


76  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

which  she  said  belonged  to  her  father,  having  received 
that  information  from  himself,  but  which  on  close 
examination  were  all  but  one  easily  proven  as  belonging 
to  other  poets. ^ 

Most  difficult  of  identification  are  now  Gottlober's 
poems,2  he  having  never  brought  out  himself  a  collec- 
tive volume  of  his  verses,  although  he  certainly  must 
have  written  a  great  number  of  them  as  early  as  the 
thirties  when  he  published  his  comedy  '  Das  Decktuch.' 
Those  that  have  been  printed  later  in  the  periodicals 
are  either  translations  or  remodellings  of  well-known 
poems  in  German,  Russian,  and  Hebrew ;  but  even  they 
have  promptly  been  caught  by  the  popular  ear.  The 
one  beginning  '  Ich  lach'  sich  vun  euere  Traten  aus,'  in 
which  are  depicted  humorously  the  joys  of  the  Jewish 
recluse,  has  been  pointed  out  by  Katzenellenbogen  as  a 
remodelling  of  a  poem  that  appeared  in  a  Vienna  period- 
ical ;  ^  the  sources  of  some  of  the  others  he  mentions 
himself,  while  the  introductory  poem  in  his  comedy  is 
a  translation  of  Schiller's  '  Der  Jiingling  am  Bache.' 
From  these  facts  it  is  probably  fair  to  assume  that 
most,  if  not  all,  of  his  other  poems  are  borrowings  from 
other  literatures,  preeminently  German.  This  is  also 
true  of  his  other  productions,  which  will  be  mentioned 

1  The  only  collection  of  Judeo-German  poetry  accessible  to  those 
who  do  not  read  the  Hebrew  type  is  G.  II.  Dalman's  Jiidisch-dentsche 
Volkslieder  aus  Galizicn  und  Bussland,  Zweite  Aullage,  Berlin,  1891, 
8vo,  74  pp. ;  unfortunately  there  are  a  number  of  errors  in  it  that 
destroy  the  sense  of  some  lines.  See  also  L.  Wiener,  Popular  Poetry 
of  the  Eiissian  Jeivs,  in  Americana  Germanica,  Vol.  II.  No.  2  (1898), 
pp.  33-59,  on  which  the  present  chapter  is  ba.sed. 

■■'  His  poems  have  been  printed  in  the  following  periodicals :  Kol- 
meioasser,  Vol.  I.  Nos.  4,  5,  6  (Das  Griiher-Iied)  et  scq.  ;  Warschauer 
j'ddische  Zeitring ;  JisruUk,  No.  13;  JUd.  Volksblatt,  Vol.  II.  No.  10; 
Wecker,  pp.  20-29  ;  JM.  Volksbibliuthek,  pp.  148-153. 

8  Katzenellenbogen,  Jiidischc  Melodien  {q.v.),  p.  55,  note. 


PRINTED  POrULAR   POETRY  77 

in  another  place.  Nevertheless  he  deserves  an  honor- 
able place  among  the  popular  poets,  as  his  verses  are 
Avritten  in  a  pure  dialect  of  the  Southern  variety,  —  he  is 
a  native  of  Constantin  in  the  Government  of  Volhynia, 
—  and  as  they  have  been  very  widely  disseminated. 

No  one  has  exercised  a  greater  influence  on  the  suc- 
ceeding generation  of  bards  than  the  Galician  Wolf 
Ehrenkranz,  better  known  as  Welwel  Zbarzer,  i.e.  from 
Zbaraz,  who  half  a  century  ago  delighted  small  audiences 
in  Southern  Russia  with  his  large  repertoii'e.  There  are 
still  current  stories  among  those  who  used  to  know  him 
then,  of  how  they  would  entice  him  to  their  houses  and 
treat  him  to  wine  and  more  wine,  of  which  he  was  inor- 
dinately fond,  how  when  his  tongue  was  unloosened  he 
would  pour  forth  improvised  songs  in  endless  succession, 
while  some  of  his  hearers  would  write  them  down  for 
Ehrenkranz's  filing  and  finishing  when  he  returned 
to  his  sober  moods.  These  he  published  later  in  five 
volumes,  beginning  in  the  3'ear  1865  and  ending  in 
1878.  While  there  had  previously  appeared  poems  in 
Judeo-German  in  Russia,  he  did  not  dare  to  publish 
them  in  Galicia  except  Avith  a  Hebrew  translation,  and 
this  method  was  even  later,  in  the  eighties,  adopted  by 
his  countrymen  Apotheker  and  Schafir.  Ehrenkranz 
has  employed  every  variety  of  folksong  known  to 
Judeo-German  literature  except  historical  and  allegori- 
cal subjects.  Prominent  among  them  are  the  songs 
of  reflection.  Such,  for  example,  is  'The  Nightin- 
gale,' in  which  the  bird  complains  of  the  cruelty  of  men 
who  expect  him  to  sing  sweetly  to  them  while  they 
enslave  him  in  a  cage  ,  but  the  nightingale  is  the  poet 
who  in  spite  of  his  aspiration  to  fly  heavenwards  must 
sing  to  the  crowd's  taste,  in  order  to  earn  a  living. 
In   a   similar  way  '  The   Russian  Tea-machine,'   '  The 


78  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

Mirror,'  '  The  Theatre,'  and  many  others  serve  him 
only  as  excuses  to  meditate  on  the  vanity  of  life,  the 
inconstancy  of  fortune,  and  so  forth. 

'  The  Gold  Watch '  is  one  of  a  very  common  type  of 
songs  of  dispute  that  have  been  known  to  various  litera- 
tures in  previous  times  and  that  are  used  up  to  the 
present  by  Jewish  bards.  They  range  in  length  from 
the  short  folksong  consisting  of  but  one  question  and  an- 
swer to  a  long  series  of  stanzas,  or  they  may  become  the 
subject  of  long  discussions  covering  whole  books.  In 
'  The  Gold  Watch '  the  author  accuses  the  watch  of 
being  unjust  in  complaining  and  in  allowing  its  heart  to 
beat  so  incessantly,  since  it  enjoys  the  privilege  of  being 
worn  by  fine  ladies  and  gentlemen,  of  never  growing 
old,  of  being  clad  in  gold  and  precious  stones.  Each 
stanza  of  the  question  ends  with  the  words  : 

Was  f ehlt  dir,  was  klapt  dir  das  Herz  ? 

The  watch's  answer  is  that  it  must  incessantly  work, 
that  it  is  everybody's  slave,  that  it  is  thrown  away  as 
useless  as  soon  as  it  stops.  So,  too,  is  man.  Upon  this 
follows  what  is  generally  known  as  a  Zuspiel,  a  byplay, 
a  song  treating  the  contrary  of  the  previous  matter  or 
serving  as  a  conclusion  to  the  same.  The  Zuspiel  to 
'  The  Gold  Watch '  is  entitled  '  'Tis  Best  to  Live  with- 
out Worrying. '  There  is  a  series  of  songs  in  his  collec- 
tion which  might  be  respectively  entitled  '  Memento 
mori '  and  '  Memento  vivere.'  Such  are  '  The  Tomb- 
stone '  and  '  The  Contented,'  '  The  Tombstone-cutter ' 
and  '  The  Precentor,'  '  The  Cemetery,'  and  '  While  you 
Live,  you  Must  not  Think  of  Death.'  The  cemetery, 
the  gravedigger,  the  funeral,  are  themes  which  have  a 
special  fascination  for  the  Jewish  popular  singers,  who 
nearly  all  of  them  have  written  songs  of  the  same 
character. 


PRINTED   POrULAU   POETRY  79 

Another  kind  of  popular  poetry  is  that  which  deals 
■with  some  important  event,  such  as  '  The  Cholera  in  the 
Year  1866,'  or  noteworthy  occurrence,  as  '  The  Leipsic 
Fair,'  which,  however,  like  the  previously  mentioned 
poems,  serves  only  as  a  background  for  reflections. 
There  are  also,  oddly  enough,  a  few  verses  of  a  purely 
lyrical  nature  in  which  praises  are  sung  to  love  and  the 
beloved  object.  These  would  be  entirely  out  of  place 
in  a  Jewish  songbook  of  the  middle  of  this  century  had 
they  been  meant  solely  as  l3'rical  utterances;  but  they 
are  used  b}'  Ehrenkranz  only  as  precedents  for  his 
'  Zuspiele,'  in  which  he  makes  a  Khassid  contrast  the 
un-Jewish  love  of  the  reformed  Jew  with  his  own  blind 
adoration  of  his  miracle-working  Rabbi.  These  latter, 
and  the  large  number  of  Khassid  songs  scattered  through 
the  five  volumes,  form  a  class  for  themselves.  The 
lightheartedness,  ignorance,  superstitions,  and  intem- 
perance of  these  fanatics  form  the  butt  of  ridicule  of  all 
who  have  written  in  Judeo-German  in  the  last  fifty 
years,  but  no  one  has  so  masterfully  handled  the  sub- 
ject as  Ehrenkranz,  for  he  has  treated  it  so  deftly  by 
putting  the  songs  in  the  mouth  of  a  Khassid  that  half 
the  time  one  is  not  quite  sure  but  that  he  is  in  earnest 
and  the  poems  are  meant  as  glorifications  of  Khassidic 
blissfulness.  It  is  only  when  one  reads  the  fine  humor 
displayed  in  '  The  Rabbi  on  the  Ocean '  that  one  is  in- 
clined to  believe  that  the  extravagant  miracles  per- 
formed by  the  Rabbi  were  ascribed  to  him  in  jest  only. 
Owing  to  this  quality  of  light  raillery,  the  songs  have 
delighted  not  only  the  scoffers,  but  it  is  not  at  all  un- 
usual to  hear  them  recited  by  Khassidim  themselves. 

Ehrenkranz  also  has  some  songs  in  which  are  described 
the  sorrows  of  various  occupations,  —  a  kind  of  poetry 
more   specially   cultivated   by  Berel  Broder.     Of  the 


80  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

latter  little  is  known  except  that  he  composed  his  songs 
probably  at  a  time  anterior  to  those  just  mentioned,  that 
he  had  lived  at  Brody,  hence  his  name,  and  that  he  had 
never  published  them.  They  were  collected  by  some 
one  after  his  death  and  published  several  times ;  how- 
ever, it  is  likely  that  several  of  them  are  of  other  author- 
ship, as  is  certainly  the  case  with  'The  Wanderer,' 
which  belongs  to  Ehrenkranz.  As  has  been  said  above, 
he  prefers  to  dwell  on  the  many  troubles  that  beset  the 
various  occupations  of  his  countrymen,  of  the  shepherd, 
the  gravedigger,  the  wagon-driver,  the  school  teacher, 
the  go-between,  the  usurer,  the  precentor,  the  smuggler. 
They  are  all  arranged  according  to  the  same  scheme, 
and  begin  with  such  lines  as:  'I,  poor  shepherd,'  'I, lame 
beadle,'  'I,  miserable  driver,'  'I,  wretched  school 
teacher,'  and  so  forth.  The  best  of  these,  and  one  of 
the  most  popular  of  the  kind,  is  probably  the  '  Song  of 
the  Gravedigger.'  Of  the  two  songs  of  dispute,  'Day 
and  Night '  and  '  Shoemaker  and  Tailor,'  the  first  is  re- 
markable in  that  each  praises  the  other,  instead  of  the 
more  common  discussions  in  which  the  contending  par- 
ties try  to  outrival  one  another  in  the  display  of  their 
virtues. 

The  style  of  these  two  Galicians  and  their  very  sub- 
ject-matter were  soon  appropriated  by  a  very  large  class 
of  folksingers  in  Russia  who  amuse  guests  at  wedding 
feasts.  Before  passing  over  to  the  writers  in  Russia  we 
shall  mention  the  two  other  Galicians  who,  writing  at  a 
later  time,  have  remained  unknown  beyond  their  own 
country,  but  one  of  whom  at  least  deserves  to  be  known 
to  a  larger  circle  of  readers.  The  one,  David  Apothe- 
ker,  in  his  collection  '  Die  Leier,'  pursues  just  such  aims 
as  his  Polish  or  Russian  fellow-bards  and  is  entirely 
without  any  local  coloring.     The  poems  are  written  in 


PRINTED  POPULAR  POETRY  81 

a  pure  dialect,  without  any  admixture  of  German  words, 
but  their  poetic  value  is  small,  as  they  are  much  too 
didactic.  Of  far  higher  importance  and  literary  worth 
are  the  productions  of  his  contemporary,  Bajrach  Bene- 
dikt  Schafir.  Being  well  versed  in  German  and  Polish 
literature,  he  generally  imitates  the  form  of  the  best 
poems  in  those  languages  and  often  paraphrases  them 
for  his  humble  audiences.  His  language  is  now  almost 
the  literary  German,  now  his  native  dialect,  according 
as  he  sings  of  high  matters  or  in  the  lighter  vein.  In 
the  introduction  to  one  of  his  earlier  pamphlets  written 
in  a  pure  German,  he  saj^s  that  in  Germanizing  his 
native  dialect  it  has  been  his  purpose  so  to  purify  the 
Jargon  that  it  should  become  intelligible  even  to  German 
Jews.  The  most  of  his  songs  were  collected  in  '  Melo- 
dies from  the  Country  near  the  River  San.'  These  he 
divided  into  four  parts  :  Jewish  national  songs,  songs  of 
commemoration,  songs  of  feeling,  and  comical  songs,  — 
the  first  three,  with  an  elegy  on  the  death  of  Moses 
Montefiore,  forming  the  first  part,  the  comical  songs  the 
second  part,  of  the  collection. 

The  most  of  the  comical  songs  are  in  the  form  of  dia- 
logues in  which  a  German,  i.e.  a  Jew  of  the  reformed 
church,  discusses  with  a  Khassid  the  advantage  of  edu- 
cation ;  in  others  he  describes  the  ignorance  of  the  latter. 
Many  of  them  do  not  rise  above  the  character  of  theatre 
couplets,  but  in  the  lyrical  part  the  tone  is  better,  and 
in  some  of  his  songs  he  rivals  the  best  folksingers  of 
Russia.  His  '  Midnight  Prayer '  and  '  Greeting  to 
Zion '  are  touching  expressions  of  longing  for  the 
ancient  home,  just  as  '  Przemysl,  You  my  Dear  Cradle,' 
and  '  Homesickness,'  are  full  of  yearning  for  his  native 
country.  Of  the  four  songs  of  commemoration,  two 
deal  on  the  famous  accusation,  in  1883,  of  the  use  of 


82  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

Gentile  blood  by  the  Jews  in  the  Passover  ceremony, 
one  describes  the  fire  in  the  Vienna  Ring  theatre,  while 
another  narrates  a  similar  catastrophe  in  the  town  of 
Sheniava. 

As  early  as  18631  there  was  printed  in  Kiev  a  volume 
of  songs  under  the  name  of  '  The  Evil-tongued  Wed- 
ding-jester,' by  Izchak  Joel  Linetzki.  Before  me  lies  a 
somewhat  later  edition  of  the  book :  it  is  published  in 
a  form  of  rare  attractiveness  for  those  days  and  bears 
on  the  title-page  a  picture  of  two  men,  one  in  European 
dress,  the  other  in  the  garments  of  a  Khassid,  in  the 
attitude  of  discussion.  This  illustration  has  appeared 
on  all  the  subsequent  editions  of  the  same  work ;  it  ex- 
presses the  author's  purpose,  which  becomes  even  more 
patent  in  his  prose  works,  to  instruct  the  Khassidim  in 
the  advantages  of  culture  ,  however,  the  few  poems  in 
the  book  devoted  to  this  differ  from  the  usual  uncon- 
ditional praise  of  reform,  in  that  they  point  out  that 
the  servile  imitator  of  the  Gentiles  is  no  better  than 
the  stubborn  advocate  of  the  old  regime.  Two  of  the 
poems  are  versified  versions  of  the  Psalms,  and  there 
are  also  the  usual  songs  of  reflection,  and  a  song  of  dis- 
pute between  the  mirror  and  the  clock.  Two  of  the 
poems  sing  of  the  joys  of  May,  presenting  the  rare  ex- 
ample of  pure  lyrics  at  that  early  time.  These  alone 
will  hold  a  comparison  with  the  best  of  Ehrenkranz's 
songs ;  the  others  are  somewhat  weak  in  diction  and 
loose  in  execution. 

Few  poets  have  been  so  popular  in  Russia  as  Michel 
Gordon  and  S.  Berenstein  were  in  the  past  generation, 
the  first  singing  in  the  Lithuanian  variety  of  the  lan- 

1  This  I  merely  surmise,  from  the  statement  in  the  Sscefer  Sikoron, 
that  lie  wrote  it  in  ISGo,  in  Kiev,  though  it  is  probable  that  he  did  uot 
print  it  before  1869.     For  biography  of  Linetzki,  see  pp.  161  ff. 


PRINTED   POPULAR   POETRY  83 

guage,  the  second  in  a  soiitliern  dialect.  Both  published 
their  collections  in  Zhitomir  in  18G9,  and  Gordon  wrote 
an  introductory  poem  for  the  book  of  his  friend  Beren- 
stein.  In  this  he  indicates  the  marked  contrast  that 
exists  in  the  productions  of  the  two.  While  the  first 
writes  to  chide  superstition  and  ignorance,  the  other 
sings  out  of  pity  for  his  suffering  race ;  while  the  one 
sounds  the  battle-cry  of  progress,  the  other  consoles  his 
brothers  in  their  misery ;  the  one,  fearing  prosecution 
from  the  fanatic  Khassidim  whom  he  attacks,  sent  his 
poems  out  into  the  world  anonymously,  the  other  signed 
his  name  to  them.  And  yet,  however  unlike  in  form 
and  content,  they  were  both  pervaded  by  a  warm  love 
for  their  people  whom  they  were  trying  to  succor,  each 
one  in  his  own  way. 

Gordon's  ^  poems  are  of  a  militant  order  :  ^  he  is  not 
satisfied  with  indicating  the  right  road  to  culture,  he 
also  sounds  the  battle-cry  of  advance.  The  keynote  is 
struck  in  his  famous  '  Arise,  my  People  ! '  '  Arise,  my 
people,  you  have  slept  long  enough  !  Arise,  and  open 
your  eyes  !  Why  has  such  a  misfortune  befallen  you 
alone,  that  you  are  asleep  until  the  midday  hour  ?  The 
sun  has  now  long  been  out  upon  the  world  ;  he  has  put 
all  men  upon  their  feet,  but  you  alone  lie  crouching  and 
bent  and  keep  your  eyes  tightly  closed.'  In  this  poem 
he  preaches  to  his  race  that  tliey  should  assimilate 
themselves  in  manners  and  culture  to  the  ruling  peoj^le, 
that  they  should  abandon  their  old-fashioned  garments 

1  For  short  notices  of  Gordon  and  bis  work,  see  B.  Woloderski,  A 
kurze  Biographic  vun  Michel  Gordon,  in  Hausfreund,  Vol.  II.  pp.  147- 
149,  and  necrology  in  Hausfreioid,  Vol.  III.  p.  312. 

2  Other  poems  by  M.  Gordon  than  those  contained  in  his  collective 
volume  are  to  be  found  in  Jiid.  Volkshlatt,  Vol.  VIII.  (Beilage)  pp. 
93,  94,  362,  363;  Vol.  IX.  No.  16;  Hausfreiind,  Vol.  I.  pp.  39-43; 
Vol.  II.  pp.  73-75,  261-264  ;  Familienfreund,  Vol.  I.  pp.  3-6. 


84  YIDDISH  LITEKATURE 

and  distinguishing  characteristics  of  long  beard  and 
forelock,  and  that  they  should  exchange  even  the  lan- 
guage in  which  lie  sings  to  them  for  the  literary 
language  of  the  country. 

Assimilation  was  the  cry  of  all  the  earnest  men 
among  the  Russian  Jews  before  the  eighties,  when  the 
course  of  events  put  a  damper  on  the  sanguine  expecta- 
tions from  such  a  procedure.  Many  of  his  other  poems 
are  of  a  humorous  nature  and  have  been  enormously 
popular.  In  '  The  Beard,'  a  Avoman  laments  the  loss  of 
that  hirsute  appendage  of  her  husband,  who,  by  shav- 
ing it  off,  had  come  to  look  like  a  despised  'German.' 
'  The  Turnip  Soup  *  and  '  I  Cannot  Understand '  are 
excellent  pictures  of  the  ignorance  and  superstitious 
awe  of  the  Khassidim  before  their  equally  ignorant  and 
hypocritical  Rabbis  ;  other  poems  deal  with  the  stupid- 
ity of  the  teachers  of  children,  and  the  undue  use  of 
spirituous  drinks  on  all  occasions  of  life. 

Two  of  his  earliest  poems  are  devoted  to  decrying 
the  evil  custom  of  early  marriages,  in  which  the  tastes 
of  the  contracting  parties  are  not  at  all  considered.  In 
the  one  entitled  'From  the  Marriage  Baldachin,'  he 
paints  in  vivid  colors  the  course  of  the  married  life  of 
a  Jew  from  the  wedding  feast  through  the  worries  of 
an  ever-increasing  family,  and  the  helplessness  of  the 
father  to  provide  for  his  children,  with  the  consequent 
breaking  up  of  the  family  ties.  The  catching  tune  to 
which  the  poem  is  sung,  and  all  folksongs  are  naturally 
set  to  music,  generally  by  the  authors  themselves,  and 
the  lifelike  picture  which  it  portrays,  have  done  a 
great  deal  to  diminish  the  practice  ;  wliile  the  other, 
'  My  Advice,'  addressed  to  a  girl,  advising  lier  to 
exercise  her  own  free  will  and  reasonable  choice  of 
]ier  life's  companion,  has  helped  to  eliminate  misery 


PRINTED  POPULAR  POETRY  85 

and  to  introduce  the  element  of  love  in  the  marital 
stage. 

In  his  advocacy  of  reform,  Gordon  had  in  mind  the 
clearing  of  the  Jewish  religion  from  the  accumulated 
superstitious  of  the  ages  which  had  almost  stifled  its 
virgin  simplicity,  not  an  abandonment  of  any  of  its  fun- 
damental princii)les  in  the  ardent  desire  for  assimilation. 
True  culture  is,  according  to  him,  compatible  with  true 
piety,  and  a  surface  culture,  witli  its  accompanying 
slackness  of  religious  life,  is  reprehensible.  When  he 
saw  that  so  many  had  misunderstood  the  precepts  of 
those  who  taught  a  closer  union  with  the  Gentiles  in 
that  they  adopted  the  mere  a^jpearances  of  the  foreign 
civilization  and  overthrew  the  essential  virtues  of  their 
own  faith,  he  expressed  his  indignation  in  '  The  True 
Education  and  the  False  Education,'  of  which  the  final 

stanza  is  : 

True  culture  makes  good  and  mild, 
False  culture  makes  bad  and  wild. 
The  truly-cultured  is  a  fine  man, 
The  falsely-cultured  is  a  charlatan. 

Gordon  has  also  written  a  ballad,  '  The  Stepmother,' 
which  has  given  rise  to  a  large  number  of  popular  imi- 
tations. In  this  he  tells  of  a  mother  whose  rest  in 
the  grave  is  disturbed  by  the  tears  of  her  child.  Upon 
learning  that  the  child  has  been  maltreated  by  his  step- 
mother, she  sends  up  her  voice  to  God,  interceding  in 
her  son's  behalf,  and  then  addresses  herself  to  her  weep- 
ing child,  assuring  him  that  God  has  heard  her  prayer. 

Berenstein  was  no  less  cultured  a  man  than  Gordon. 
His  acquaintance  with  German  literature  is  evidenced 
by  his  motto  from  Korner,  an  occasional  quotation  from 
Schiller,  and  his  several  epigrams  which  he  frankly  ac- 
knowledges as  translations  or  adaptations  of   German 


86  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

originals.  Thus  it  happens  that  Schiller's  '  Hoffnung ' 
has  been  popularized  among  the  Russian  Jews  in  the 
form  of  a  stanza  of  a  long  poem,  'The  False  Hope.' 
Except  for  these  literary  allusions,  Berenstein  wrote 
in  the  true  popular  vein.  His  '  The  Cradle,'  in  which 
he  makes  use  of  the  well-known  verses, '  Hinter  Jankeles 
Wiegele,'  has  become  as  universal  as  the  oral  cradle 
song.  Its  last  stanza  enjoins  the  child  to  sleep  well  in 
order  to  gather  strength  for  the  sufferings  of  the  next 
day,  and  this  pessimistic  view  of  life  becomes  ever  after 
the  prevailing  tone  in  the  many  cradle  songs  that  have 
been  written  by  younger  men.^  '  The  Sleep '  is  a  varia- 
tion on  the  motto  from  Korner's  '  Tony,'  whicli  is  put  at 
the  head  of  it :  '  Der  Schlummer  ist  ja  ein  Friedenhauch 
vom  Himmel — Schlummern  kann  nur  ein  spiegelreines 
Herz.'  'Young  Tears'  is  one  of  the  very  few  love 
lyrics  that  appeared  in  print  before  the  second  half  of 
the  eighties.  In  '  The  Bar  of  Soap '  Gordon  shows  that 
with  soap  one  cannot  wash  off  the  blot  from  his  brow, 
the  sorrow  from  his  heart.  '  The  Empty  Bottle '  de- 
scribes the  loneliness  of  him  who  has  lost  his  wealth, 
and  with  it  his  friends.  As  a  '  byplay '  to  it  follows 
a  pretty  lyric,  '  Consolation.'  A  '  byplay '  bearing  the 
same  name  follows  an  elegy  upon  the  death  of  an  only 
son.     Several  of  the  poems  are  devoted  to  the  praise 

1  In  this  conjunction  a  few  of  the  very  many  cradle  songs  will  be 
mentioned  here  as  an  offset  to  the  statement,  frequently  heard,  that  the 
Jews  have  no  songs  of  that  character  ;  in  the  chapter  on  the  traditional 
folksongs  there  have  been  mentioned  a  few  such  ;  add  to  these  the 
one  given  in  MitteUungen  der  Gesellschaft  fiir  jUdische  ^'olksk^lnde, 
lleft  II.  p.  49.  Of  the  literary  cradle  songs,  the  best  are  Abramo- 
witsch's  Alululu,  bidne  Kind,  Weh  js'  der  Maine,  tcth  nnd  wi'ind  (in 
Dus  kleine  Menschele,  p.  121)  ;  Linetzki's  Varschliess  schdii  deine 
Aiigen  (in  Der  bceser  3IarscheUk,  p.  GO);  Goldfaden's  SchliiJ"'  in  Freu- 
den,  Du  xolisst  kein  Leiden  (in  Die  J'tldene,  p.  6);  S.  Rabinowitsch's 
Schlaf\  mein  Kind  (with  music,  in  his  Kol-meivasser,  col.  25,  26). 


PRINTED   POPULAR   POETRY  87 

of  the  Sabbath,  and  only  two  are  given  to  sarcastic 
attacks  on  the  Khassidim.  In  the  latter,  the  words 
are  put  in  the  mouth  of  a  Khassid,  who  prays  to  God 
that  he  may  send  again  darkness  instead  of  the  victori- 
ous light  in  order  that  his  kind  may  the  more  securely 
shear  their  sheep. 

Another  very  popular  poet  of  the  sixties  was  Abra- 
ham Goldfaden,^  who,  in  1876,  became  the  founder  of 
the  Jewish  theatre.  His  literary  activity  may  be 
roughly  divided  into  the  period  before,  and  the  period 
after,  the  establishment  of  the  theatre.  The  first  only 
is  the  subject  of  our  present  discussion.  Like  the  other 
two,  he  published  his  works  in  Zhitomir,  which,  on  ac- 
count of  the  Rabbinical  school  opened  there  in  the 
forties,  had  come  to  be  the  rallying  ground  of  all  those 
who  were  advocating  a  progressive  Judaism.  As  the 
title  of  his  first  collection,  '  The  Jew,'  indicates,  his 
poems  are  all  devoted  to  strictly  Jewish  matters.  Al- 
though he  occasionally  has  recourse  to  the  method  of 
Ehrenkranz,  or,  foreshadowing  his  future  career,  even 
descends  to  the  use  of  theatre  couplets,  yet  the  most 
of  his  poems  have  an  individual  character,  differing 
from  all  of  his  predecessors.  He  treats  with  great 
success,  and  in  a  large  variety  of  rhymes,  the  allegorical 
and  the  historical  song,  sometimes  as  separate  themes, 
more  often  by  combining  them. 

One  of  the  best  allegorical  poems  is  the  triad,  '  The 
Aristocratic  Marriage.'  In  the  first  part,  'The  Be- 
trothal,' he  tells  us  how  the  humble  Egyptian  slave, 

1  Some  of  Goldfaden's  poems  may  be  found  in  :  Kol-meicasser ; 
Jisriilik ;  Wecker,  pp.  7-15,  56-62;  Der  ji'tdischer  Handel skalender, 
pp.  114-118;  Familienfreund,  Vol.  I.  pp.  27-35,  Vol.  II.  pp.  57-59; 
Hausfreund,  Vol.  II.  pp.  5-7  ;  Volksbibliothek,  Vol.  II.  pp.  188,  247, 
267,  268 ;  Das  heilige  Land,  pp.  25-29 ;  New  Yorker  Tllnstrirte 
Zeitung. 


88  YIDDISH  LITERATUl'.E 

Israel,  was  betrothed  to  his  aristocratic  bride  on  Mount 
Sinai.  God  Avas  the  father  who  gave  away  the  Law  to 
his  son,  and  Moses  was  the  Schadehen^  the  go-between, 
the  never-failing  concomitant  of  a  Jewish  marriage. 
The  second  part  describes  a  typical  Jewish  wedding  — 
Israel's  entrance  into  Jerusalem ;  while  the  third  shows 
how  Israel  has  misused  his  opportunity  while  living  in 
the  house  of  his  wife's  father  during  the  years  that  im- 
mediately follow  the  marriage.  He  committed  adultery 
with  idolatry,  and  God  drove  him  out  of  his  home,  but 
out  of  regard  for  his  pious  ancestry  He  allowed  him 
to  take  his  wife  along  with  him  on  his  wanderings, 
and  promised  him  that  after  ages  of  repentance  He 
would  send  him  the  Messiah  to  restore  him  to  his  former 
home. 

A  similar  triad,  but  of  a  historical  nature,  is  his  well- 
known  '  That  Little  Trace  of  a  Jew,'  in  which  he  suc- 
cessively portrays  the  virtues,  the  sufferings,  and  the 
vices  of  his  race.  The  last  part  is  identical  in  senti- 
ment with  Gordon's  '  Arise,  my  People,'  and  inculcates 
tolerance  for  the  various  religious  parties  of  the  Jews 
and  love  of  worldly  learning.  '  The  Firebrand '  relates 
the  destruction  of  the  Temple  ;  '  Rebecca's  Death  '  gives 
a  Talmudical  version  of  the  event ;  and  '  Cain  '  tells  of 
his  wanderings  over  the  face  of  the  earth  after  his  kill- 
in  sr  of  his  brother,  and  his  vain  search  of  death.  The 
latter  is  the  most  popular  of  his  Biblical  songs.  Among 
tlie  other  poems,  many  of  which  are  of  sterling  worth, 
there  must  be  mentioned  his  lullaby,  whose  widespread 
dissemination  is  only  second  to  Berenstein's  cradle  song. 

The  poems  which  Goldfaden  has  written  during  liis 
lifetime  would  fill  several  large  volumes ;  they  can  be 
found  scattered  through  various  periodicals  which  have 
appeared  in  the  last  tliirty  years,  and   in  the  greater 


PRINTED  POPULAR   POETRY  89 

part  of  the  dramas  which  he  has  composed  for  the 
stage  which  he  has  created.  Most  of  these  are  mere 
street  baUads,  but  there  are  some  of  a  serious  nature ; 
of  these  mention  will  be  made  in  the  chapter  on  the 
theatre.  To  the  best  productions  of  his  first,  the  most 
original  period  of  his  poetical  activity,  belong  the  poems 
touching  women,  contained  in  the  v.olume  entitled  '  The 
Jewess.'  From  the  contents  we  learn  that  one  of  them 
is  a  translation  from  Beranger,  the  other  from  the  Rus- 
sian. It  is  also  characteristic  of  the  history  of  Jewish 
folk-music  that  one  of  the  songs,  as  we  are  informed  in 
the  same  place,  is  to  be  sung  to  the  tune  of  a  well-known 
Russian  lullaby,  the  other  with  a  Little-Russian  melody, 
while  for  a  third,  is  mentioned  one  of  M.  Gordon's  songs. 
All  the  above-mentioned  poets  belong  to  what  might 
be  termed  the  German  school.  These  men  were  more 
or  less  intimately  acquainted  with  German  literature, 
and  frequently  borrowed  their  subject-matter  from  that 
source.  They  all  were  active  at  a  time  when  the  con- 
flict between  the  old  religious  life  of  the  Russian  Jews 
and  the  modern  tendencies  was  at  the  highest.  They 
looked  for  a  solution  in  the  reform  which,  since  the  days 
of  Mendelssohn,  has  become  the  watchword  of  progress 
in  Germany.  They  hoped  finally  to  substitute  even  the 
German  language  for  the  Judeo -German,  which  they 
regarded  as  a  corrupted  form  of  German,  and,  therefore, 
named  Jargon,  an  appellation  that  has  stuck  to  it  ever 
since.  In  the  meanwhile,  the  better  classes  were  receiv- 
ing their  instruction  in  Russian  schools  that  alienated 
them  alike  from  the  German  influence  and  from  a  closer 
contact  with  their  humble  coreligionists.  Even  such 
men  as  had  begun  in  the  forties  and  fifties  as  folk-poets, 
were  abandoning  their  homely  dialect  for  the  literary 
language  of  the  country.     Jehuda  Loeb  Gordon,  the 


90  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

Hebrew  scholar  and  poet,  had  given  promise  of  becom- 
ing the  greatest  of  popular  singers.  Yet,  in  the  seven- 
ties, he  wrote  only  in  Hebrew  and  Russian,  and  it  was 
only  in  the  eighties,  when  the  riots  and  expatriations  of 
the  Jews  had  destroyed  all  hopes  that  had  been  placed 
in  assimilation,  that  he  returned  to  compose  songs  for 
the  consolation  of  his  humble  and  unfortunate  brothers. ^ 
J.  L.  Gordon  has  written  but  few  Judeo-German  poems, 
and,  of  these,  not  more  than  nine  or  ten  are  folksongs  ; 
but  they  represent  the  highest  perfection  of  the  older 
school  of  the  popular  bards.  He  has  not  been  surpassed 
by  any  of  them  in  simplicity  of  diction,  warmth  of  feel- 
ing, and  purity  of  language.  Two  of  his  oldest  poems, 
'  A  Mother's  Parting,'  and  'A  Story  of  Long- Ago,'  relate, 
the  first,  the  hardships  of  a  Jewish  soldier  in  the  forties  ; 
the  second,  the  horrors  of  the  regime  of  Chapers^  the 
dishonesty  and  inhumanity  of  the  Kahal,  the  represen- 
tative body  of  the  Jewish  community.  The  newer 
poems  are  all  of  a  humoristic  nature,  except  the  one 
devoted  to  the  praise  of  '  The  Law  Written  on  Parch- 
ment '  that  has  been  the  consolation  of  the  Jews  during 
their  many  wanderings  and  persecutions. 

Parallel  with  the  German  school,  now  overlapping 
its  territory,  now  pursuing  its  own  course,  ran  the  class 
of  poetry  that  had  for  its  authors  the  Badchens  or  Mar- 
schaliks^  —  the  wedding   jesters.      In   medieval   times 

1  A  song  expressive  of  this  sentiment,  under  the  title  Unsere  liebe 
Schwester  un''  Brikler,  appeared  in  Jikl.  VolkshlaU,  Vol.  I.  (1881), 
No.  2.  Other  poems  were  printed  in  the  same  year  in  Nos.  1  and  5  ; 
another  poem  was  printed  in  JUd.  Volksbibliothek,  Vol.  I.  pp.  295, 
296.  A  review  of  his  collected  poems  is  given  in  Vuschod,  Vol.  VI. 
(1880),  I'ai't.  11.  pp.  20-31.  For  necrology  see  Hausfreund,  Vol.  Ill, 
p.  312. 

2  Cf.  Abrahams,  Jcunsh  Life  in  the.  Middle  A(/es,  pp.  198  ff.  It 
is  not  luicommon  in  Judoo-German  literature  to  meet  with  the  dcscrip- 


PRINTED   POPULAR   POETRY  91 

the  jester's  fiuiction  was  to  amuse  the  guests  at  the  wed- 
ding, while  the  more  serious  discourses  were  delivered 
by  the  Rabbi  and  the  bridegroom.  In  Russia  he  had 
come  to  usurp  all  these  functions.  He  improvised 
verses  upon  the  various  stages  of  the  marriage  cere- 
mony, delivered  the  solemn  discourses  to  bridegroom 
and  bride,  and  furnished  the  wit  during  the  banquet. 
His  improvisations  were  replete  with  Biblical  and  Tal- 
mudical  allusions,  and  cabbalistic  combinations  of  the 
Hebrew  letters  of  the  names  of  the  married  couple. 
His  verses  were  mere  rhyming  lines,  without  form  or 
rhythm,  and  his  jests  were  often  of  a  low  order  and 
even  coarse.  The  name  of  '  badchen  '  came  to  be  the 
byname  of  a  coarse,  uncultured  jester.  A  change  for 
the  better  was  made  in  the  second  half  of  the  fifties  by 
Eliokum  Zunser,^  then  but  in  his  teens,  who  had  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  making  the  badchen  a  singer  of 
songs,  rather  than  a  merry  person.  He  was,  no  doubt, 
led  to  make  this  innovation  through  the  many  new  folk- 
songs, by  Gordon,  Ehrenkranz,  and  Berel  Broder,  that 
were  then  current  among  the  people,  and  that  were 

tion  of  the  old-fashioned  badchen  and  his  craft,  but  probably  the  best 
illustrations  of  his  performances  are  to  be  found  in  the  following 
works :  Linetzki,  Das  chsidische  Jilngel,  pp.  94  ff.  ;  Gotllober,  Das 
DeckCuch,  pp.  43  ff.  (2d  act,  2d  scene) ;  Der  Jcrinnmer  Maschelik  mit 
a  hliml  Aug\  Es  is'  sehr  schoen  zu  lejeneu  die  Lieder,  was  der  Mar- 
schelik  hat  gesungen,  un'  wie  er  hat  Chossen-kale  besungen,  un'  see 
sennen  noch  kein  Mai  nit  gedruckt  gewor'eu :  Kukariku  !  Der  Mar- 
schelik  is'  da,  Warsaw,  1875  ;  U.  Kalmus,  Geschichte  vun  a  seltenem 
Bvis  u)V  a  genarrte  Chassene,  Theater  in  vier  Akten,  Warsaw,  1882, 
pp.  65-72. 

1  In  addition  to  the  large  number  of  collective  books  of  poetry, 
Zunser  has  published  his  poems  in:  J'ud.  Volksblatt,  Vol.  V.  pp.  51, 
G7  ;  Wecker,  pp.  74-88;  Familienfreund,  Vol.  I.  pp.  6-27;  Haus- 
frexmd,  Vol.  II.  pp.  99-108  ;  Spektor's  Familienkalender,  Vol.  IV. 
pp.  94-103;  Jud.  Volksbib.,  Vol.  I.  pp.  273,  274;  Das  heil  Land, 
pp.  134-141. 


92  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

received  with  so  much  acclamation,  both  on  account  of 
their  pleasing  contents  and  the  excellent  tunes  to  which 
they  had  been  set.  In  1861,  he  published  eight  of  his 
songs  which  he  had  been  singing  at  weddings.  One  of 
these,  at  least,  '  The  Watch,'  is  merely  a  differently 
versified  form  of  Ehrenkranz's  '  The  Gold  Watch,' 
which  must  have  reached  him  in  its  oral  form,  as  it 
was  printed  only  in  1865.  Zunser  possessed  an  excel- 
lent voice,  and  had  received  a  good  musical  training, 
and  his  songs  and  tunes  spread  with  astonishing 
rapidity  throughout  the  whole  length  and  breadth  of 
Russia,  wherever  Jews  lived,  and  became  also  popular 
in  Galicia  and  Roumania.  This  innovation  came  to 
stay,  and,  within  a  short  time,  the  host  of  badchens 
throughout  the  country  began  to  sing  songs  at  wedding 
feasts.  Whoever  could,  composed  songs  of  his  own ; 
whoever  was  not  gifted  with  the  power  of  versification, 
sang  the  songs  of  others.  These  badchens  were  the 
most  potent  factors  in  the  dissemination  of  the  songs 
of  the  above-mentioned  poets,  long  before  they  were 
accessible  in  a  printed  form. 

Since  it  was  the  badchen's  business  to  amuse,  it  was 
natural  for  Zunser  to  adopt  the  manner  of  Ehrenkranz 
and  Berel  Broder,  rather  than  that  of  his  countrymen, 
Gordon  and  Goldfaden.  But  to  the  Russian  Jew,  that 
is  amusing  which  gives  him  food  for  reflection,  and 
nature  and  its  manifestations  are  interesting  to  him 
only  in  so  far  as  they  interpret  man  in  all  his  aspects  of 
life  and  vicissitudes  of  fortune.  It  is  this  facile  power 
of  dissolving  external  facts  in  the  alembic  of  his  intro- 
spective imagination,  that  has  brought  Zunser  so  near  to 
the  people,  and  that  has  made  him  so  popular.  He  does 
not  possess  the  poetical  instincts  of  his  contempora- 
ries, Gordon  and  Ehrenkranz  ;   and  many  of  his  poems 


PRINTED   rOrULAR   TOETRY  93 

are  mere  plagiarisms  from  otlier  singers.  Yet  they  have 
become  better  known  in  the  form  in  which  he  has  sung 
them  than  in  their  original  verses. 

All  the  characteristics  of  the  poets  whom  he  imitates 
are  repeated  in  Zunser :  we  have  the  dispute  in  '  The 
Countryman  and  the  Townsman,'  '  The  Old  World  and 
the  New,'  '  Song  of  Summer  and  Winter.'  The  best 
of  his  songs  of  reflection  is  '  The  Flower,'  in  which  the 
Jew  is  compared  with  a  neglected  flower ;  other  poems 
of  the  same  category  are  'The  Railroad,'  '  The  Ferry,' 
'  The  Iron  Safe,'  '  The  Clock,'  '  The  Bird.'  There  are 
also  songs  in  which  he  scourges  the  hj^pocrite,  the  usu- 
rer, the  inordinate  love  of  innovations  and  fashion,  and 
some  give  good  pictures  of  various  incidents  in  the  life 
of  a  Russian  Jew. 

Zunser  has  had  many  imitators,  and  their  name  is 
legion ;  few  of  them  have  been  so  versatile  or  have 
become  so  popular  as  he.  They  delight  in  their  voca- 
tion of  badchen,  and  take  pains  to  mention  their  pro- 
fession on  the  title-pages  of  the  pamphlets  which  they 
publish,  and  frequently  they  try  to  make  their  publica- 
tions more  attractive  by  giving  them  the  title  of  '  The 
Lame  Marschalik,' '  The  Marschalik  with  One  Eye,'  and 
so  forth.  Many  of  the  improvisations  of  the  badchen 
never  see  daylight,  but  pass  in  manuscript  form  to  their 
brothers  in  the  profession.  Although,  in  the  eighties, 
there  has  arisen  a  new  class  of  singers  who  sing  in  the 
manner  of  the  poets  of  the  literary  languages,  yet  the 
badchens  still  recite  in  the  old  style,  frequently,  how- 
ever, reflecting  the  new  conditions  of  life  in  their  poems. 
A  strange  departure  has  taken  place  in  the  badchen's 
profession  in  America,  where,  under  more  favorable 
conditions  of  existence  and  increased  well  being,  there 
has  come  to  be  a  greater  demand  for  amusement ;  the 


94  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

wedding  day  is  no  longer  the  one  day  of  joy,  but  the 
'jester'  is  now  invited  to  entertain  companies  at  any 
and  all  pleasurable  meetings.  He  is  now  no  longer 
required  to  create  new  poems,  but  to  sing  well  the 
current  couplets  of  the  day. 


VI.  OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  POETRY  BEFORE 
THE  EIGHTIES 

The  popular  poem,  i.e.  the  tunable  song,  had  only 
two  purposes,  to  amuse  and  to  prepare  a  way  for  the 
Reform.  But  these  did  not  exhaust  all  the  possibilities 
of  poetic  compositions  and,  in  fact,  were  not  the  only 
ones  to  task  the  powers  of  the  Judeo-German  versifiers. 
An  opportunity  for  more  extended  themes  was  given 
the  badchens  in  their  songs  of  contemplation,  in  which 
the  moralizing  tendency  needed  only  to  be  developed 
at  the  expense  of  the  allegory,  in  order  to  change  the 
song  into  a  rhymed  sermon.  Nor  was  the  public  un- 
prepared for  serious  matters,  for  the  greater  part  of  all 
Judeo-German  literature  had  been  merely  treatises  of  an 
ethical  character  in  which  the  element  of  sadness  caused 
by  centuries  of  suffering  predominated.  The  perfec- 
tion of  art  is  to  the  mind  of  a  Jew  its  ability  to  move 
to  tears.  It  is  expected  of  the  violinist  that  he  shall 
play  the  saddest  tunes  in  the  minor  key,  such  as  will 
make  his  hearers  weep  like  '  beavers ' ;  the  precentor's 
reputation  depends  on  his  powers  to  crush  his  audience, 
to  call  forth  contrition  of  spirit,  to  make  the  hearts 
bleed  ;  and  the  author  who  can  make  his  reader  dissolve 
in  tears,  no  matter  how  absurd  the  story,  is  sure  to 
become  popular  with  a  Jewish  public.  We  have  seen 
how  the  badchen  at  the  marriage  ceremony  bade  the 
bride  to  weep,  and  it  has  also  been  mentioned  that  he 
delivered  the  more  serious  discourses  upon  that  occa- 
sion.    It  was  then  that  he  would  spin  out  hundreds  of 

95 


96  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

stanzas  upon  such  subjects  as  '  The  Unhappy  Man,' 
'  Pity,'  '  Dialogue  of  the  New-born  Soul  with  the  Angel 
of  Life,'  '  Sorrow,'  and  the  like. 

In  the  meanwhile,  the  old  rhymed  moral  treatises 
continued  in  force  and  gave  rise  to  compositions  of  a 
more  regular  structure.  Two  authors  must  here  be 
specially  mentioned,  S.  Sobel  and  Elieser  Zwi  Zweifel. 
The  first  published,  in  1874,  a  book  under  the  title  of 
'  Destiny,  or  Discussions  for  Pleasant  Pastime,'  in  which 
he  makes  use  of  the  popular  method  of  disputes  between 
various  objects  in  order  to  inculcate  a  series  of  moral 
truths.  He  excels  in  the  use  of  a  vigorous,  idiomatic 
language,  while  Zweifel  has  shown  what  strength  there 
lies  in  the  employment  of  the  simplest  words  for  a  simi- 
lar kind  of  literature.  Zweifel's^  older  productions, 
only  two  in  number,  are,  one,  a  translation  from 
the  Hebrew,  the  other  probably  an  imitation  of  a 
foreign  model.  The  first  contains  a  series  of  aphorisms, 
while  the  other  teaches  the  wisdom  of  life  in  the  testa- 
ment of  a  dying  father.  These  verses,  like  his  prose 
works,  belong  among  the  most  cherished  writings  of 
the  Russian  Jews  and  liave  been  reprinted  in  a  large 
number  of  editions.  After  his  death  another  one  of 
his  poems  was  published  v.diich  differs  from  its  prede- 
cessors in  that  it  is  somewhat  more  elaborate  and  is 
entirely  original. 

Considering  the  love  of  verse  on  the  one  hand  and  the 
great  demand  on  the  other  for  a  Judeo-German  prayer- 
book  for  women,  which  has  never  ceased  to  be  a  neces- 
sity, the  book-firm   Eisenstadt  and  Schapiro  had  the 

1  Other  works  by  Zweifel  than  those  given  in  the  Bibliography  are  : 
Hausfrexind,  Vol.  I.  pp.  73-78,  Vol.  II.  pp.  148-145  ;  Spektor's  Fami- 
lienkalender,  Vol.  II.  pp.  82-87;  JM.  \'oUcsbibl.,  Vol.  I.  pp.  48-61, 
Vol.  II.  pp.  132-1.^5. 


OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  POETRY  97 

happy  idea  to  ask  the  then  famous  author  Abramo- 
witsch^  to  make  a  trial  traushitjlon  of  a  part  of  the 
Psahus  in  verse.  This  appeared  to  them  so  successful 
that  they  had  him  proceed  with  the  Sabbath-prayers  and 
the  hymns,  which  were  then  printed  in  1875  at  Zhitomir. 
By  the  machinations  of  the  great  firm  of  Romm,  in 
Wilna,  who  were  afraid  that  such  an  excellent  transla- 
tion might  seriously  interfere  with  their  sale  of  their 
old,  stereotyped  form  of  the  prayer-book,  Abramowitsch 
was  made  to  desist  from  finishing  the  meritorious  task 
that  he  had  begun,  and  even  the  two  books  printed  were 
for  a  long  time  kept  out  of  circulation.  The  Sabbath- 
prayers  he  gave  not  merely  in  a  versified  form,  but 
the  most  prosaic  passages,  by  slight  additions  and 
remodellings,  he  so  changed  that  they  resemble  the 
songs  in  a  Gentile  hymn-book.  Still  greater  has  been 
the  work  that  he  had  to  perform  in  making  poetry  out 
of  the  laconic  hymns,  for  that  could  be  accomplished 
only  by  amplifying  them  to  ten  and  twenty  times  their 
original  size.  For  this  purpose  he  has  availed  himself 
of  the  current  commentaries  to  the  hymns,  and  this  he 
has  done  in  such  a  way  that  the  hymns,  in  their  origi- 
nal form,  occur  as  conclusions  to  the  poems.  Except 
for  a  certain  monotony  of  the  masculine  rhymes  which 
are  employed  in  them,  they  are  masterpieces  of  religious 
poetry,  and  it  is  only  a  pity  that  the  author  has  not 
published  yet  a  translation  of  the  Psalms,  which  cer- 
tainly lend  themselves  more  easily  to  poetic  diction. 

While  these  sacred  poems  were  being  printed  in 
Zhitomir,  there  appeared  in  Warsaw  another  poetical 
production  by  the  same  author,  in  its  way  the  most 
remarkable  work  in  the  whole  range  of  Judeo-German 
literature.  It  bears  the  title  of  '  Judel,  a  Poem  in 
1  Por  note  on  Abramowitsch,  see  pp.  148  ff. 


98  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

Rhymes,'  and  in  about  four  thousand  verses  tells  the 
unfortunate  course  of  the  life  of  Judel,  —  the  Jew. 
When  examining  it  closely,  one  discovers  that,  like 
Goldfaden's  '  The  Aristocratic  Marriage,'  it  is  an  alle- 
gorical story  of  the  historical  vicissitudes  in  the  develop- 
ment of  Judaism  and  of  the  sufferings  of  the  Jew  through 
the  centuries.  Not  only  is  the  story  told  unobtrusively, 
so  that  one  does  not  at  all  suspect  the  allegory,  but  the 
wonderment  increases  when  upon  a  second  and  third 
perusal  one  becomes  aware  of  the  wealth  of  Biblical 
allusions  upon  which  alone  the  whole  plot  is  based. 
The  future  commentator  of  this  classic  will,  when  it 
shall  be  fully  appreciated,  find  his  task  made  much 
easier  by  the  many  references  to  Biblical  passages  which 
Abramowitsch  has  himself  made  in  footnotes.  The 
value  of  this  gem  is  still  more  enhanced  by  the  refined 
language  used  in  it,  —  a  characteristic  of  all  of  Abramo- 
witsch's  works. 

Ten  years  later  Goldfaden  returned  to  the  allegory 
of  his  '  Aristocratic  Marriage,'  completing  it,  after  the 
example  of  Abramowitsch,  in  a  poem  of  about  six  hun- 
dred lines,  entitled  '  Schabssiel,  a  Poem  in  Ten  Chap- 
ters (Thoughts  after  the  Riots  in  Russia).'  The 
master's  influence  on  this  poem  is  not  to  be  mistaken, 
for  it  serves  as  a  pendant  to  the  previous  work ;  it  is 
as  it  were  a  continuation  of  it.  Abramowitsch's 
poem  ends  with  the  futile  attempt  of  Mepliistopheles 
to  tempt  Judel  to  a  course  of  vice,  when  he  discovers 
Judel's  wife,  i.e.  the  Law,  faithfully  by  his  side.  In 
Schabssiel,  the  sufferings  of  the  Jew  are  ascribed  to  his 
having  departed  from  the  Law,  to  his  having  desecrated 
the  Sabbath.  Though  somewhat  fantastic  in  its  plot, 
and  far  from  reaching  his  predecessor's  philosophic 
grasp  of  the  Jew's  history,  his  work  is  full  of  fine  pas- 


OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  POETRY  99 

sages  and  may  be  counted  among  the  best  of  his  produc- 
tions. At  about  the  same  time,  another  young  writer, 
M.  Lew,  made  use  of  the  form  of  '  Judel '  in  a  poem 
whose  title  '  Hudel '  seems  to  indicate  its  obligation  to 
the  prototype.  There  is  in  this  even  less  of  a  philo- 
sophical background  than  in  the  verses  just  mentioned, 
and  by  its  subject-matter  it  clearly  belongs  to  the  fol- 
lowing period,  for  it  describes  not  a  purely  Jewish 
theme,  but  one  of  a  more  general  character,  namely  the 
fall  of  an  orphan  who  is  left  to  shift  for  herself  in  the 
world.  It  is,  however,  given  in  this  place  as  being,  at 
least  in  outward  form,  a  direct  descendant  of  Abramo- 
witsch's  'Judel.'  While  not  of  the  highest  poetic  value, 
it  is  written  in  a  good  style  and  gives  promise  of  better 
things  should  the  author  choose  to  proceed  in  his  poetic 
career.  Mention  must  here  also  be  made  of  a  versified 
story,  '  Lemech,  the  Miracle  Worker,'  by  M.  Epstein,  to 
which  we  shall  return  later. 

Like  the  allegory,  the  fable  has  been  a  favorite  sub- 
ject of  imitation  among  the  writers  from  the  beginning 
of  this  century.  We  possess  such,  partly  translations 
or  adaptations,  partly  original,  from  Suchostawer,  Dr. 
Ettinger,  Gottlober,  Reichersohn,  Katzenellenbogen. 
Of  Suchostawer's,  only  one,  a  translation  of  one  of  Kry- 
lov's  fables,  '  The  Cat  and  the  Mice,'i  has  come  down  to 
us.  It  was  written  in  1829,  and,  like  the  fables  by 
Ettinger,  circulated  in  the  thirties  and  forties,  is  far 
superior  to  any  translation  from  Krylov  that  has  ap- 
peared before  1880.  The  most  original  production  is 
that  by  Gottlober  called  '  The  Parliament,'  a  poem  of 
more  than  one  thousand  lines,  in  which  he  gives  an 
explanation  why  the  lion  had  been  chosen  king  of  all 

1  Mordechai  Suchostawer,  Der  looler  Eeze-geber,  in  JM.  Volks- 
llatt,  Vol.  V.  p.  310. 


100  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

the  animals.  While  some  of  the  matter  contained  in  it 
is  unquestionably  borrowed  from  other  sources,  yet  the 
whole  is  moulded  in  so  novel  a  form,  with  such  a  pro- 
nounced Jewish  setting  and  biting  wit,  that  it  occupies 
a  place  by  itself  in  the  history  of  fables.  After  the 
candidacy  of  all  the  beasts,  from  the  donkey  to  the 
wolf,  had  been  rejected  as  incompatible  with  the  highest 
security  of  the  rest,  the  lion  appears  on  the  scene,  and 
by  his  majestic  presence  at  once  silences  the  contend- 
ing parties  ;  and  he  is  at  once  and  unanimously  chosen 
to  his  high  post.  "He  rules  in  fairness,  does  no  wrong, 
not  a  sigh  is  heaved  by  any  of  the  animals  against  him  ; 
the  forest  is  ruled  as  of  yore :  the  weak  lie  still,  the 
strong  go  free,  the  great  are  great,  the  humble  are 
humble  :  well  to  him  who  has  sharp  teeth  !  It  has 
been  so  of  old,  and  you  cannot  change  the  course  of 
things.  But  no  one  need  complain  of  the  lion  as 
long  as  he  feels  no  hunger  in  his  stomach,  for  then 
he  is  all  peace  and  rest,  —  God  grant  there  be  many 
such  !  " 

The  whole  of  Krylov  was  translated  into  Judeo-Ger- 
man,  though  with  but  moderate  success,  in  1879  b}'  Zwi 
Hirsch  Reichersohn,  and  more  weakly  still  in  1890  by 
Israel  Singer.  Two  of  the  fables  have  been  admirably 
rendered  by  Katzenellenbogen,  who  has  also  produced  a 
number  of  excellent  poems  in  the  popular  style  which 
surpass  those  of  Goldfaden  in  regularity  of  structure. 
He  has  also  translated  a  few  poems  from  the  Russian 
and  Hebrew,  all  with  the  same  degree  of  care  dis- 
played in  the  renderings  from  Krylov.  His  songs 
have  not  been  disseminated  among  the  people,  the 
most  of  them  not  having  been  published  until  quite 
lately. 

The  most  unique  person  in  Judeo-German  literature 


OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  FOETRY  101 

of  the  first  half  of  this  century  is  Dr.  Ettinger.^  All 
that  is  known  about  him  is  given  in  the  scanty  literary 
recollections  by  (xottlober.  He  there  says  that  Dr. 
Ettinger  had  studied  medicine  at  Lemberg,  where  he 
became  acquainted  witli  tlie  Judeo-German  writings 
of  Mendel  Lefin,  who  is  regarded  as  the  first  man  of 
modern  times  to  use  the  dialect  of  everyday  life  for 
literary  purposes.  He  then  settled  in  Zamoszcz,  which 
had  been  a  seat  of  Hebrew  learning  of  the  Haskala. 
Being  prohibited  to  practise  medicine  with  his  foreign 
diploma,  he  became  a  colonist  in  the  newly  formed 
Jewish  colonies  of  the  South,  but  not  being  successful 
there,  he  finally  settled  in  Odessa.  This  is  all  that  is 
given  of  his  biography.  It  is  further  known  that  he 
wrote  his  comedy  '  Serkele '  in  the  twenties  and  that 
he  composed  a  large  number  of  poems,  a  few  of  which 
were  published  in  the  Kol-meivasser  in  the  sixties,  a 
few  in  the  Volkshlatt  in  the  eighties.  In  1889  his 
family  issued  a  volume  of  his  poetical  works  which 
forms  the  basis  of  our  discussion.  In  this  book  are 
contained  sixty  fables,  a  number  of  poems  of  various 
character,  and  epigrams.  About  one-half  of  the  collec- 
tion consists  of  translations  from  the  German ;  among 
these  are  fables  and  epigrams  by  Lessing,  ballads  and 
poems  by  Schiller,  Blumauer,  and  others.  The  other 
half  is  made  up  of  original  compositions.  All  are  of 
equal  excellence  both  as  to  the  language  used  in  them 
and  the  more  mechanical  structure  of  the  verses. 

In  all  these  poems  there  is  nothing  specifically  Jewish 

1  Several  of  the  poems  contained  in  the  vohime  of  his  poetry  had 
appeared  before :  JM.  Volkshlatt.  Vol.1.  No.  12,  Vol.  V.  pp.  239,  357, 
Vol.  VI.  pp.  83,  717  ff.  ;  Familienfreund,  Vol.  I.  pp.  86-93.  The 
Astor  Library  of  New  York  possesses  a  manuscript  of  Ettiuger's 
fables. 


102  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

except  the  language,  and  tliey  might  as  well  have  been 
written  in  any  other  language  without  losing  the  least 
part  of  their  significance.  Dr.  Ettinger  is  thus  an 
exceptional  phenomenon  among  his  confreres,  but  ex- 
ceptional only  in  appearance,  as  the  cause  for  it  is  not 
far  to  seek.  From  the  few  data  of  his  life  we  have 
learned  that  he  received  his  training  in  the  beginning  of 
this  century  in  Galicia,  where  at  that  time  the  influence 
of  the  Mendelssohnian  school  was  most  potent.  He 
brought  with  him  to  Russia  not  only  a  love  for  enlight- 
enment, but  also  what  then  was  a  necessary  concomitant 
of  that  culture,  a  love  for  German  learning ;  hence  his 
exclusive  imitation  of  German  originals.  At  first  the 
privileges  of  Western  education  were  not  only  enjoyed 
by  a  small  number  of  learned  men,  but  there  was  no 
attempt  made  at  introducing  them  to  the  masses  at 
large,  for  that  would  have  been  a  hazardous  occupation 
for  those  who  entered  in  an  unequal  combat  with  the 
superstitious  people.  It  was  only  after  J.  B.  Levinsohn 
had  pointed  out  in  his  Hebrew  works  the  desirability 
of  educating  them,  and  after  he  had  undertaken  to  do 
so  single-handed,  that  the  other  writers,  late  in  the 
thirties  and  in  the  forties,  began  to  approach  the  masses 
in  the  least  offensive  manner,  by  means  of  the  folksong. 
Dr.  Ettinger's  activity,  however,  fell  in  the  period 
preceding  the  militant  energy  of  the  Haskala.  If  he 
wished  at  all  to  write  in  Judeo-German,  he  could 
appear  only  as  the  interpreter  of  German  culture  to  a 
public  imbued  with  a  love  for  it.  What  in  the  begin- 
ning was  only  a  pastime  of  his  leisure  hours,  soon 
became  a  passion  to  try  his  ingenuity,  and  he  proceeded 
in  writing  original  poems,  and  continued  that  practice 
even  at  a  time  when  the  main  purpose  of  Judeo-German 
literature  was  to  educate  the  people. 


OTHER   ASl'KCTS   OF   POETRY  103 

Judeo-German  poetry  has  developed  in  Russia  in 
precisely  the  opposite  direction  from  the  one  generally 
taken  by  that  branch  of  literature  among  other  nations. 
Whereas  the  usual  course  would  have  been  to  pass 
from  the  simple  utterings  of  the  folksong  to  more  and 
more  elaborate  forms,  the  process  among  the  Jews 
in  Russia  has  been  inverted.  The  first  poetical  expres- 
sions were  those  of  Dr.  Ettinger,  who  may  be  regarded 
as  a  dialectic  continuator  of  Schiller  and  Lessing. 
After  that  followed  the  school  of  popular  poets  of 
the  Gordons,  Goldfaden,  Linetzki,  Ehrenkranz,  Berel 
Broder.  In  the  seventies  a  few  traces  of  that  school 
are  still  to  be  found,  but  the  majority  of  songs  pro- 
duced then  smack  of  the  badchen's  art,  while  Gold- 
faden himself  has  deteriorated  into  a  writer  of  theatre 
couplets.  The  explanation  of  this  is  found  in  the  fact 
that  in  the  sixties  the  efforts  of  the  folk-singers  were 
crowned  with  success.  The  Rabbinical  schools  had 
graduated  several  classes  of  men  trained  in  the  Reform, 
the  Gymnasia  and  Universities  had  been  thrown  wide 
open  to  the  Jewish  youths,  and  in  the  next  decade 
a  large  number  of  them  had  availed  themselves  of 
the  highest  advantages  offered  in  these  institutions 
of  learning.  The  cloud  of  a  stubborn  ignorance  had 
been  successfully  dispelled,  the  light  shone  brightly 
over  the  whole  land.  The  bard's  task  was  done ;  he 
had  no  need  to  spur  the  people  on  to  progress,  for 
that  duty  was  now  devolved  on  the  large  host  of 
younger  men  who  had  tasted  the  privileges  of  a  Russian 
education.  But  these  had  been  identifying  themselves 
with  Russian  thought,  with  Russian  ideals.  Eor  them 
German  culture  had  little  of  significance,  except  as  it 
appeared  in  universal  literature,  or  had  affected  Russian 
ideas.     Still  less  were  they  interested  in  JeAvish  letters, 


104  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

whether  in  Hebrew,  or  in  Judeo-German.  On  the  con- 
trary, tliey  were  trying  hard  to  forget  their  humble 
beginnings.  Neither  for  these  nor  by  these  coukl  the 
Judeo-German  language  be  employed  for  any  literary 
purposes.  The  masses  had  become  accustomed  to  look 
with  favor  on  the  new  education,  and  one  by  one  the 
better  elements  were  disappearing  from  the  narrow 
world  of  the  Ghetto.  There  was  still  left  a  large  pro- 
portion of  those  who  could  not  avail  themselves  of  the 
benefits  offered  them.  They  knew  no  other  language 
than  the  homely  dialect  of  their  surroundings,  and 
they  were  still  thirsting  for  entertainment  such  as  the 
folk-singers  have  offered  to  them.  The  older  men,  the 
champions  of  the  Haskala,  were  dead,  or  too  old  to 
write  ;  the  younger  men  had  other  interests  at  heart, 
and  thus  it  was  left  to  a  mediocre  class  of  writers  to 
supply  them  with  poetry.  This  part  naturally  fell  to 
the  badchens.  Another  quarter  of  a  century,  and 
Judeo-German  literature  would  have  run  its  course ; 
even  the  badchen  would  have  been  silenced.  But  it 
suddenly  rose  from  its  ashes  with  renewed  vigor  after 
the  riots  against  the  Jews  in  1881. 


VII.     POETRY   SINCE   THE  EIGHTIES   IN 
RUSSIA 

The  latest  blood-bath  was  instituted  against  the  Jews 
of  Russia  in  1881.  In  the  same  year  there  was  started 
in  St.  Petersburg  a  weekly  periodical,  Judisches  Volks- 
blatt,  by  the  editor  of  the  Kol-mewasser  which  had 
gone  out  of  existence  ten  years  before.  The  purpose 
of  the  new  pul^lication  was  to  focus  all  the  available 
forces  that  had  been  dispersed  in  the  decade  preceding 
through  the  agencies  that  made  for  assimilation,  and 
to  prepare  the  way  for  a  renewed  activity  among  the 
people.  These  no  longer  needed  to  be  urged  on  to 
progress,  but  had  to  be  comforted  in  the  misfortunes 
that  had  befallen  them,  and  in  the  dangers  that  awaited 
them.  In  the  first  number  of  the  new  periodical  there 
appeared  the  poem  of  J.  L.  Gordon  on  'The  Law  written 
on  Parchment,'  while  the  second  brought  one  by  the 
same  author,  outlining  his  plan  to  sing  words  of  en- 
couragement to  his  suffering,  hard-working  brothers  and 
sisters.  However,  very  soon  after  all  singing  ceased. 
The  year  1882  had  been  one  of  too  much  suffering, 
when  even  consolation  is  out  of  place.  Two  years 
later  S.  Rabinowitsch,  who  was  destined  by  his  unrest- 
ing energy  and  good  example  to  cause  a  revival  of 
Judeo-German  literature,  justly  exclaimed  in  the  same 
weekly  ^  in  a  poem  '  To  Our  Poet ' :  "  Arise,  thou  Poet  ! 
Where  have  you  been  all  this  time  ?  Send  us  from 
afar  your  words  of  wisdom  !     For  what  other  pleasure 

1  Vol.  IV.  p.  175. 
106 


106  YIDDISH   LITERATUHE 

have  your  brothers  if  not  your  sweet  and  consoling 
songs  ?  " 

While  no  other  singers  were  forthcoming,  Rabino- 
witsch  composed  himself  a  series  of  songs,  although  he 
was  preparing  himself  to  be  a  novelist.  His  heart  was 
with  the  poetry  of  the  Russian  Nekrasov,  and  his 
native  Judeo-German  gave  him  Michel  Gordon  for  a 
model.  He  imitated  both,  taking  the  structure  from 
the  Russian,  and  the  manner  of  the  folksong  from  Gor- 
don. When  his  talent  was  just  reaching  its  fullest 
development,  he  abandoned  this  branch  of  literature  to 
devote  his  undivided  attention  to  prose.  Only  twice 
afterwards  he  returned  to  the  use  of  rhythm,  once  in  a 
poem,  entitled  '  Progress,  Civilization,'  an  imitation  of 
Nekrasov's  '  Who  lives  in  Russia  Happily,'  and  at 
another  time  in  a  legend  m  blank  verse.  The  first 
has  never  been  finished,  the  other  appeared  in  a  collec- 
tive volume  of  poetry  i^ublished  in  1887  by  M.  Spektor, 
his  friend  and  rival  in  the  resuscitation  of  Judeo-Ger- 
man letters. 

That  volume,  named  '  Der  Familienfreund,'  was  in- 
tended as  an  attempt  to  bring  together  all  those  who 
wrote  poetry  ;  but  we  find  in  it  only  names  that  had 
been  known  to  us  from  the  previous  period :  INI.  Gor- 
don, Zunser,  Goldfaden,  Linetzki.^  To  these  must  be 
added  the  name  of  Rabinowitsch  just  mentioned,  and 
of  Samostschin,  who  had  furnished  a  few  poems  to  the 
Kol-meivasser  nearly  twenty  years  before.  In  the 
J^olksblatt  there  were  published  in  the  meanwhile  a 
few  songs  by  various  authors,  most  prominently  by 
iMoses  Chaschkes.  He  also  printed  in  1889  a  volume 
of  his  poems  at  Cracow,  under   the  name  of  '  Songs 

1  This  is  also  true  of  the  poets  who  contributed  to  '  Dcr  jUdischer 
Wccker,'  a  similar  volume  pviblished  in  the  same  year  at  Odessa. 


POETRY   SINCE    1881    IN   RUSSIA  107 

from  the  Heart,'  in  which  are  contained  a  number  of 
reflections  on  the  riots  in  Russia.  There  are  some 
good  thoughts  in  them,  although  the  technique  is 
not  always  faultless.  He,  too,  belongs  to  the  older 
type  of  folk-singers. 

The  Jews  had  at  that  time  furnished  three  names  to 
Russian  poetry :  those  of  Nadson,  Vilenkin  (Minski), 
and  Frug.  Of  these  the  first  had  a  Christian  mother 
and  died  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-four,  in  1886. 
The  second  had  begun  his  poetical  career  in  the  seven- 
ties, after  having  received  a  thorough  Russian  educa- 
tion. There  was  only  Frug  left,  who  had  not  entirely 
broken  with  his  Jewish  traditions,  for  he  had  gone 
directly  from  the  Jewish  farmer  colony  where  he  had 
been  born  to  St.  Petersburg  to  engage  in  literary 
work.  His  first  Russian  poem  was  published  in  1879. 
In  1885  he  began  to  compose  also  in  Judeo-German, 
continuing  to  do  so  to  the  present  time.^  Like  many 
other  Jewish  writers  he  had  become  convinced  that 
his  duties  were  above  all  with  his  race,  as  long  as  it 
was  oppressed  and  persecuted,  and  his  energy  was  thus 
unfortunately  split  in  two  by  writing  in  two  languages. 
For  the  same  reason  such  poets  as  Perez,  Winchevsky, 
Rosenfeld,  have  taken  to  Judeo-German,  which  is  under- 
stood by  few  and  which  in  a  few  decades  is  doomed  to 
extinction,  except  in  countries  of  persecution.  They 
adorn  their  humble  literature,  but  they  would  have 
been  an  honor  to  other  literatures  as  well,  and  from 
these  they  have  been  alienated. 

1  His  poems  were  printed  in  :  Jikl.  Volkshlatt,  Vol.  V.  p.  515  ;  Vol. 
VII.  No.  36 ;  Vol.  VIII.  No.  10  ;  Beilage  No.  3  passim ;  Vol.  IX.  No.  3 
passim;  Hausfreund,  Vol.  I.  p.  44;  Vol.  III.  pp.  172-175  (0«  the 
death  of  M.  Gordon);  Jild.  Volksbib.  Vol.  I.  pp.  260-263  ;  Vol.  II.  pp. 
1-0,  120-125,  139-141,  167-168,  105-204;  Jlid.  Volkskaleiuler,  Vol. 
III.  pp.  117-124. 


108  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

When  Friig  began  to  write  in  his  native  dialect, 
he  had  already  acquired  a  reputation  in  a  literary 
language.  He  had  passed  the  severe  school  of  the 
poet's  technique,  had  been  trained  in  the  traditions  of 
his  vocation.  One  could  not  expect  that  in  descending 
to  speak  to  his  coreligionists  in  their  own  tongue,  he 
would  return  to  the  more  primitive  methods  of  the 
popular  bard.  He  simply  changed  the  language,  but 
nothing  of  his  art.  By  this  transference  he  only  gains 
in  reputation,  although  he  loses  in  popularity,  for  the 
accusation  frequently  brought  against  him,  that  he  con- 
fines himself  to  too  narrow  a  sphere,  falls  to  the  ground 
when  he  intends  that  that  narrow  sphere  alone  should 
be  his  audience.  Half  a  century  had  gone  by  since 
Dr.  Ettinger  had  introduced  the  form  and  subject- 
matter  of  German  poetry,  and  since  those  days  no  such 
harmony  had  been  heard  to  issue  from  the  mouth  of  a 
Jewish  poet.  There  were  no  literary  traditions  to  fall 
back  upon,  except  the  folksong  of  the  preceding  gen- 
eration ;  there  scarcely  existed  a  poetical  diction  for 
Judeo- German,  and  a  variety  of  dialects  were  striving 
for  supremacy.  What  he  and  the  people  owed  to 
Michel  Gordon,  he  expressed  in  two  poems  entitled 
'To  Michel  Gordon'  and  'On  Michel  Gordon's  Grave'; 
both  collectively  he  named  'One  of  the  Best.'  In  an 
allegorical  series,  '  Songs  of  the  Jewish  Jargon,'  he 
sings  of  the  history  of  the  language  which  is  iden- 
tical with  that  of  his  downtrodden  race.  The  prologue 
is  a  model  of  beautiful  style.  The  Slavic  dactyllic  di- 
minutives, grafted  on  German  stems,  the  gentle  cadence 
of  words,  the  simplicity  of  the  diction,  remind  one 
rather  of  mellifluous  Italian  than  of  a  disorderly  mix- 
ture which,  in  the  poem,  he  compares  to  the  bits  of 
bread   in   a   beggar's    wallet,   or   wliich,    according   to 


POETRY  SINCE   1881    IN  RUSSIA  109 

another  part  in  the  same  allegory,  excludes  the  de- 
ceased Jew  from  heaven,  as  the  angel  at  the  gate  can- 
not understand  him. 

There  are  a  few  poems  in  his  collection  in  which  he 
bewails  the  lot  of  a  Jewish  poet  who  has  only  tears  for 
his  subject,  but  the  most  deal  with  incidents  in  the  life 
of  his  oppressed  coreligionists,  now  painting  pictures  of 
their  misery,  their  poverty,  their  lack  of  orderliness, 
now  giving  them  words  of  consolation.  He  never 
passes  the  narrow  frame  of  his  people's  surroundings, 
no  matter  what  he  sings.  Even  when  he  chooses 
nature  of  which  to  sing,  it  appears  to  him  trans- 
formed under  a  heavy  cloud  of  his  own  sufferings 
superinduced  by  the  persecution  of  his  brethren.  The 
best  of  his  poems  are  those  entitled  '  Night  Songs,'  in 
which  he  depicts  a  few  night  scenes.  Here  is  the  way 
he  describes  the  Melamed,  the  teacher  of  children  in 
those  miserable  quarters  called  a  school  :  "  Behold  the 
palace,  oh,  how  beautiful,  how  magnificent  :  ivory  and 
velvet,  silk,  leather,  bronze,  cedar  wood  .  .  .  here  lives 
a  Jewish  teacher.  .  ,  .  Of  velvet  is  his  skullcap  —  it 
glistens  and  shines  from  afar;  the  fescue  is  made  of 
ivory;  his  girdle  is  of  silk;  the  candelabrum  is  of 
bronze ;  the  knout  is  of  leather ;  the  stool,  the  stool 
is  cut  out  of  cedar  wood  !  "  One  can  easily  see  that 
the  rest  of  the  picture  is  in  keeping  with  the  glory 
just  described.  There  is  gloom  everywhere  in  his 
songs.  And  how  could  it  be  otherwise?  It  was 
proper  for  Ettinger  to  smile  and  to  jest,  for  he  was 
active  at  the  dawn  of  better  days  ;  it  Avas  natural  for 
the  poets  of  the  thirties  and  fifties  to  battle  against 
superstitions  and  to  sound  the  cry  of  progress;  for  the 
poets  of  the  eighties  there  was  nothing  left  but  tears. 

It  has  been  Frug's  ambition  to  be  a  continuator  of 


110  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

the  bards  who  sang  for  the  masses,  to  be  a  folk-poet, 
and  the  people  look  upon  him  as  such,  although  he 
hardly  appeals  to  them  m  the  manner  of  the  older 
bards.  He  is  entirely  too  literary  to  be  understood 
without  previous  training,  and  his  allegory  is  not  so 
easily  unravelled.  His  greatest  faults  are,  perhaps,  an 
absence  of  dramatic  qualities  and  a  certain  coldness  of 
colors.  Nevertheless,  he  is  one  of  the  best  poets  in 
Judeo-German  literature,  who  may  also  claim  recogni- 
tion by  a  wider  class  of  readers. 

The  year  1888  is  momentous  in  the  history  of  Judeo- 
German  literature:  it  gave  birth  to  two  annuals,  Die 
judische  Volksbibliothek  and  Der  Hausfreund^  around 
which  were  gathered  all  the  best  forces  that  could  be 
found  among  the  Jewish  writers.  The  first,  under  the 
leadership  of  S.  Rabinowitsch,  started  out  with  the  pur- 
pose of  clearing  away  all  rubbish  from  the  field  of  Jew- 
ish letters  and  to  prepare  it  for  a  new,  a  better  harvest ; 
the  second  set  out  to  serve  the  people  with  the  best 
existing  literary  productions.  The  latter  was  doomed 
to  a  certain  mediocrity  on  account  of  the  bounds  which 
it  had  placed  around  itself;  the  first,  in  exercising  a 
severe  criticism  on  the  productions  presented  for  pub- 
lication, and  in  purifying  the  public  taste,  attracted 
from  the  start  the  best  talent  obtainable  and  encour- 
aged young  promising  men  to  try  themselves  in  Jargon 
letters.  In  the  Volkshibliotliek  appeared  the  firstling 
from  the  pen  of  Leon  Perez,  the  poet  and  novelist,  who 
must  be  counted  among  the  greatest  writers  not  only 
of  Judeo-German  literature,  but  of  literature  in  general 
at  the  end  of  the  nineteenth  century.  If  he  had 
written  nothing  else  but  '  The  Sewing  of  the  Wedding 
Gown,'  his  name  would  live  as  long  as  there  could 
be   found  people  to  interpret  the  language  in  which 


POETRY  SINCE   1881    IN   RUSSIA  111 

he  sings-  But  lie  has  produced  several  large  volumes 
of  a(hiiirable  works  iu  prose  and  in  verse. 

Leon  Perez,  or  Izchok  Leibusch  Perez,  as  he  proudly 
prefers  to  be  called,  was  born  in  1855  in  Zamoszez,  the 
city  which  has  been  the  birthplace  of  so  many  famous 
men  in  Hebrew  and  Judeo-German  letters,  the  home  of 
Zederbaum  and  Ettinger.  He  obtained  his  education 
in  a  curious  way.  In  his  town  there  had  lived  a  sur- 
geon's assistant  who,  on  becoming  rich,  had  collected 
a  library  on  all  kinds  of  subjects,  numbering  nearly 
three  thousand  volumes.  There  came  reverses  to  him, 
and  his  books  were  stored  away  pell  mell  in  the  loft. 
Perez  somehow  got  hold  of  the  key  to  that  room,  and 
without  choice  took  to  reading,  until  the  whole  library 
was  swallowed  up  by  his  omnivorous  appetite.  He 
read  ever3*thing  he  could  get  hold  of,  and  he  learned 
German  through  a  work  on  physics  which  he  had  dis- 
covered in  the  loft.  Then  he  passed  on  from  science 
to  science,  all  b}'  himself.  Then  he  studied  Heine  by 
heart,  then  Shelley,  and  then  he  became  a  mystic.  This 
history  of  his  education  is  also  the  history  of  his  genius. 
There  is  reflected  in  it  the  subtleness  of  the  Talmud, 
the  wisdom  of  the  ancients,  the  sparkle  of  Heine,  the 
transcendency  of  Shelley,  the  mj- sticism  of  Hauptmann. 
He  has  treated  masterfully  the  Talmudical  legend,  has 
composed  in  the  style  of  the  Romancero,  and  has  carried 
allegory  to  the  highest  degree  of  perfection. 

Perez  is  even  less  of  a  popular  poet  than  Frug.  He 
has  entirely  parted  company  with  the  people.  Although 
he  started  with  the  avowed  purpose  of  aiding  his  race 
to  a  better  recognition  of  itself,  yet  his  talents  are 
of  too  high  an  order,  where  language,  feelings,  and 
thoughts  soar  far  above  the  understanding  of  the 
masses.    He  can  hardly  be  properly  appreciated  even  by 


112  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

those  who  enjoy  the  advantages  of  a  fair  school  educa- 
tion, not  to  speak  of  those  who  are  merely  lettered. 
It  is  only  an  unfortunate  accident,  the  persecutions  of 
the  Jews,  that  has  thrown  him  into  so  unpromising  a 
field  as  that  of  Judeo-German  letters,  where  to  be  great 
is  to  be  unknown  to  the  world  at  large  and  to  be  sub- 
jected to  the  jealous  attacks  of  less  gifted  writers.  He 
could  easily  gain  a  reputation  in  any  other  language, 
should  he  choose  to  try  for  it,  but,  like  many  of  his 
predecessors,  he  is  pursued  by  the  merciless  allurements 
of  the  Jewish  Muse.  Her  enchantment  is  the  more 
powerful  on  her  devotees  since  she  appears  to  them 
only  in  the  garb  of  their  own  weaving.  They  spend 
so  much  work  in  creating  the  outer  form  and  fashion- 
ing a  poetic  diction  that  they  get  fascinated  by  their 
creative  labor,  and  stick  to  their  undertaking,  even 
though  they  have  but  few  hearers  for  their  utterances. 
'  Monisch '  is  the  name  of  the  ballad  with  which  Perez 
made  his  debut  ten  years  ago.^  It  is  the  old  story  of 
Satan's  recovery  of  power  over  the  saint  by  tempting 
him  with  an  earthly  love.  But  the  setting  of  the  story 
is  all  new  and  original.     The  fourth  chapter,  beginning 

with 

Andersch  wollt'  mein  Lied  gekluugen 
'ch  soil  far  Goim  goisch  singen, 
Nischt  far  Jiiden,  uischt  Jargon 

(My  song  would  sound  quite  differently,  were  I  to  sing  to  Gen- 
tiles in  their  language,  not  to  Jews  in  Jargon) 

is  the  best  of  all.  He  describes  there  the  difficulty  of 
singing  of  love  in  a  dialect  that  has  no  words  for  '  love ' 
and  '  sweetheart ' ;  nevertheless  he  acquits  himself  well 

^  J'lid.  VoIk.sbib.  Vol.  I.  pp.  148-158 ;  better  tli;ui  this  is  Lis  own 
edition  of  the  ballad  in  a  separate  pamphlet  (q.v.). 


POETRY  SINCE   1881   IN   RUSSIA  113 

of  his  task  to  tell  of  Monisch's  infatuation,  for  which, 
of  course,  a  saint  and  a  Jew  can  only  become  Satan's 
prey.  Perez  has  written  a  number  of  stories  in  verse. 
Some  of  them  are  mosaics  of  gems,  in  which  the  unity 
of  the  whole  is  frequently  marred  by  a  mystic  cloud 
which  it  is  hard  to  penetrate.  Such,  for  example,  is  his 
'  He  and  She,'  ^  a  story  of  the  Spanish  inquisition,  and 
'  Reb  Jossel,'  ^  the  temptation  of  a  teacher  of  children 
by  his  hostess,  the  wife  of  a  shoemaker.  The  latter 
poem  is  very  hard  to  grasp  at  one  reading,  but  the 
details,  such  as  the  description  of  the  teacher,  his  pale 
and  ailing  pupil  with  his  endless  school  superstitions, 
the  jolly  shoemaker,  are  drawn  very  well.  Much  more 
comprehensible  are  his  '  The  Driver '  ^  and  '  Jossel  Bers 
and  Jossel  Schmaies.'*  The  first  is  a  sad  picture  of  a 
Jewish  town  in  Poland,  in  which  the  inhabitants  have 
lost,  one  after  the  other,  their  means  of  subsistence  after 
the  railroad  had  connected  them  with  Warsaw.  The 
drivers,  the  merchants,  the  artisans  who  throve  at 
their  honest  professions  before,  have  become  impover- 
ished and  are  driven  to  despised  occupations,  only  to 
keep  body  and  soul  together.  It  is  a  very  sad  picture 
indeed.  In  the  other,  the  author  tells  of  two  boys  who 
had  been  fellow-students  out  of  the  same  prayer-book, 
but  who  soon  separated  at  the  parting  of  the  roads. 
The  one,  a  faithful  believer  in  all  the  teacher  told  him, 
becomes  a  Rabbi  ;  the  other  asks  for  facts  and  reasons 
to  fortify  the  statements  of  his  mentor,  and  subjects 
himself  to  many  privations  in  order  to  acquire  worldly 
wisdom  in  the  gymnasium  and  the  university.      The 

1  Jild.  Bibliothek,  Vol.  II.  pp.  170-180. 

2  Ibid.,  Vol.  III.  pp.  123-155. 

3  Ibid.,  Vol.  I.  pp.  246-257. 
*  Ibid.,  Yol  I.  pp.  276-285. 


114  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

final  picture  is  placed  in  Roumania  (or  Russia,  had 
the  censor  permitted  it),  where  the  student  is  driven 
through  the  streets  by  a  mob,  while  the  Rabbi,  uncon- 
scious of  the  outer  world,  is  somewhere  thinking  hard 
over  the  solution  of  a  question  of  ritual. 

The  shorter  poems  are  either  translations  from  the 
Russian  poet  Nadson,  or  imitations  of  Heine.  They 
are  well  done,  though  some  suffer  somewhat  by  their 
veiled  allegory,  at  least  at  a  superficial  reading.  The 
best  of  these  are  those  that  deal  with  social  ques- 
tions, or  describe  the  laborer's  sufferings.  Preeminent 
among  them  is  'The  Sewing  of  the  Wedding  Gown."" 
If  Thomas  Hood's  '  Song  of  the  Shirt '  is  to  be  com- 
pared to  a  fine  instrument,  then  this  poem  is  a  whole 
orchestra,  from  the  sounds  of  which  the  walls  of  Jericho 
would  fall.  Instead  of  a  criticism,  a  short  review  of 
the  story  will  be  given  here.  The  scene  is  at  a  dress- 
maker's ;  the  cast :  the  modiste,  two  dressmakers,  and 
sewing-girls.  The  modiste  tells  of  the  care  with  which 
the  wedding  gown  has  to  be  sewed.  The  choir  of  sew- 
ing-girls sing  the  song  of  the  prison.  The  first  dress- 
maker speaks  of  the  beauty  of  the  gown,  and  compares 
the  bride  to  an  angel  from  heaven,  whereupon  the  choir 
sings  of  the  misery  at  home,  of  asking  the  '  angel '  to 
advance  a  rouble  on  the  work,  of  the  '  angel's '  cruel 
refusal,  of  the  pawning  of  her  silks  for  a  loaf  of  bread, 
and  of  the  girl's  arrest  by  the  '  angel.'  "  And  the  angel 
has  taken  care  of  me  during  the  great  frosts,  and  for 
three  months  has  provided  me  with  board  and  lodging." 
The  second  dressmaker  compares  the  rustle  of  the  silk 
to  the  noise  made  by  her  tired  bones,  speaks  of  the 
diamond  buttons  that  will  be  sewed  on  the  gown  "  as 

^  Jonteio-bldttlech,  Zioeite  b'crie,  Onecj  Schabes,  pp.  27-31,  Cha- 
mischo  Osser,  pp.  22-31. 


POETRY  SINCE    1881    IN  RUSSIA  115 

large  as  tears  of  the  poor,"  and  bids  the  wheel  of  the 
machine  to  drown  the  noise  of  lier  breaking  bones. 
The  choir  sings  the  song  of  the  grave,  where  no  sewing 
is  done,  where  all  go  down  in  a  shroud  forever.  The 
second  dressmaker  continues  the  song,  whereupon  a 
girl,  named  '  Fond-of-Life,'  protests,  telling  of  her 
good  health,  of  her  desire  to  pass  her  youth  in  pleas- 
ure. The  choir  chides  her  with  the  Ragpicker's  song, 
in  which  '  Fond-of-Life \s  '  future  is  portrayed,  and  the 
conclusion  to  the  song  is  given  by  the  first  dressmaker. 
The  first  dressmaker  contrasts  the  luxury  of  the  bride's 
bed  with  her  straw  bed  on  the  floor,  the  bride's  splen- 
dor of  light  in  her  parlor  with  the  two  candles  at  her 
head  when  she  is  dead.  The  modiste,  oppressed  by 
the  sad  songs  that  portray  their  own  unhappiness,  bids 
them  sing  of  other  people's  happiness.  To  this  the 
choir  responds  by  singing  the  happiness  of  the  bride, 
but  the  modiste  sees  in  this  only  the  girls'  jealousy, 
whereupon  the  choir  tells  of  the  obedient  daughter  who 
is  advised  by  her  mother  to  scorn  sweetness,  getting 
the  promise  of  a  gilded  nut  if  she  behaves  properly. 
When  the  nut  is  brought  and  cracked  it  is  found  to  be 
wormy  and  bitter.  Of  course,  that  is  a  picture  of  a 
match  made  by  the  parents  for  their  daughter.  The 
modiste  answers  that  happiness  does  not  always  dwell 
in  high  places  ;  and  the  first  dressmaker  tells  the  story 
of  labor,  which  is  quite  unique  :  There  lived  two 
brothers  happily  together.  A  stranger,  who  is  no 
other  than  the  Biblical  serpent,  visits  them ;  he  is  clad 
in  diamonds  and  costly  stones,  and  dazzles  the  older 
brother  with  his  splendor.  He,  too,  would  like  to  be 
rich.  He  follows  the  stranger  out  into  the  woods,  and 
seats  himself  at  his  side  to  inquire  of  the  manner  of 
acquiring  such  wealth.     "  What  a  fool  you  are  to  allow 


116  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

your  opportunities  to  slip  by,"  says  the  serpent.  "  You 
do  not  know  that  the  sweat  of  your  brother  is  nothing 
but  diamonds,  the  tears  are  brilliants,  his  blood  pearls." 
The  elder  brother  returns  home,  beats  his  younger 
brother  to  elicit  blood  and  sweat  and  tears.  His 
wealth  grows,  but  not  his  happiness,  for  he  suffers  as 
much  from  fear  of  his  hoarded  riches  as  his  brother 
sighs  under  tears.  They  finally  fall  to  blows,  —  but 
here  the  poet  purposely  breaks  his  story,  for  he  will 
not  undertake  to  tell  the  end  of  their  hostility.  The 
choir  sings  the  ten  o'clock  song,  when  all  must  go  to 
rest:  "You  are  rested,  and  at  times  you  dream  of — a 
loaf  of  bread !  The  clock  strikes  ten,  the  work  is 
done,  —  good  night,  madame  !  "  The  modiste  answers: 
"  Be  back  early  in  the  morning  !  " 

This  is  the  bare  skeleton  of  the  poem,  of  whose  pain- 
ful beauties  nothing  but  a  perusal  in  the  original  can 
give  an  adequate  idea.  There  is  the  making  of  a  great 
poet  in  one  who  can  sing  like  that;  but  Perez  has 
chosen,  like  Rabinowitsch,  to  devote  his  best  energies 
to  prose,  and  to  this  part  of  his  activity  we  shall  return 
later.  Of  the  minor  poems  of  this  period  there  might 
be  mentioned  those  by  David  Frischmann,  Rosa  Gold- 
stein, M.  W.  Satulowski,  M.  M.  Penkowski,  W.  Kaiser, 
Paltiel  Samostschin.  Frischmann  has  produced  but  a 
few  poems,  but  they  are  all  of  excellent  quality.  His 
best  is  a  ballad,  '  Ophir,'  ^  but  he  has  also  written  some 
clever  satires  in  verse.  Samostschin,^  who  had  begun 
composing  in  the  sixties,  has  translated  several  poems, 

1  His  legend  Ophh;  printed  in  JUd.  Volksbib.,  Vol.  I.  pp.  211-224. 

2  His  poems  appeared  in  Jad.  Volhsblatt,  Vol.  I.  Nos.  10,  11  ;  Vol. 
II.  Nos.  9,  46  ;  Vol.  III.  pp.  402  ;  Vol.  IV.  p.  94  ;  Vol.  V.  pp.  5G5,  604  ; 
Vol.  VI.  pp.  190,  195;  Vol.  VII.  pp  277,  759  ;  Hausfreund,  Vol.  III. 
pp.  304-306;  Spektor's  Familienkalender,  Vol.  V.  p.  71;  Lamteren, 
col.  26, 


POETRY  SINCE   1881   IN  RUSSIA  117 

especially  from  the  Hebrew  of  J.  L.  Gordon,  and  has 
written  some  clever  feuilletons  in  rhymes.  Minclias 
Perel  has  published  a  small  collection  of  poems  on  the 
Fall  of  Jerusalem,  of  which  the  first,  '  The  Night  of  the 
Destruction  of  Jerusalem,'  is  a  very  spirited  and  dra- 
matic story  of  the  event.  Another  good  book  of  poems 
is  'The  Harp,'  by  G.  O.  Hornstein.  Although  some 
of  them  are  in  the  style  of  the  coupletists,  others  betray 
original  talent  that  might  be  well  developed.  The  best 
of  these  is  the  ballad,  '  The  Cat  and  the  Mouse,'  an 
allegory  of  Jewish  persecutions,  in  which  the  Jew  is 
represented  as  a  mouse  living  on  the  fat  of  the  oil  can- 
delabrum in  the  Temple  at  Jerusalem,  and  the  Romans 
and  other  nations  are  represented  as  cats  who  drive  the 
mouse  out  of  her  abiding  place. 

The  riots  of  the  early  part  of  the  eighties  affected 
the  whole  mental  attitude  of  the  Jews  of  Russia  by 
rousing  them  to  a  greater  consciousness  of  themselves 
and  by  rallying  them  around  distinctly  Jewish  stan- 
dards. For  hundreds  of  thousands  life  had  become 
impossible  at  home,  and  they  emigrated  to  various 
countries,  but  mostly  to  America,  where,  under  the 
influence  of  entirely  new  conditions,  Judeo-German 
literature,  and  with  it  poetry,  developed  in  new 
channels. 


VIII.     POETRY   SINCE   THE   EIGHTIES   IN 
AMERICA 

Judeo-German  poetiy  has  developed  in  two  direc- 
tions in  America,  —  downwards  and  upwards.  Many 
of  the  poets  left  Russia  in  the  beginning  of  the  eighties, 
together  with  the  involuntary  emigration  of  the  Russian 
Jews,  to  escape  the  political  oppression  at  home ;  but 
once  in  America  they  came  in  contact  with  conditions 
not  less  undesirable  than  those  they  had  just  left ;  for, 
instead  of  the  religious  persecution  to  which  they  had 
been  subjected  there,  they  now  began  to  experience 
the  industrial  oppression  of  the  sweat-shops  into  which 
they  were  driven  in  ord^r  to  earn  a  livelihood.  At 
the  same  time,  the  greater  political  liberty  which  they 
enjoy  makes  it  j)ossible  for  them  to  give  free  utterance 
to  their  feelings  and  thoughts,  without  veiling  them 
in  the  garb  of  a  far-fetched  allegory.  However,  they 
have  not  all  suffered  who  have  come  here.  Many 
have  found  on  the  hospitable  shores  of  the  United 
States  opx3ortunities  to  earn  what  to  their  humble 
demands  appears  as  a  comfortable  income.  With  the 
increased  well-being,  there  has  come  a  stronger  desire 
to  be  entertained.  The  wedding  day,  Purim,  and  the 
Feast  of  the  Rejoicing  of  the  Law  no  longer  suffice 
as  days  of  amusements,  and  Goldfaden's  theatre,  which 
had  been  proscribed  in  Russia,  has  found  an  asylum  in 
New  York.  Soon  one  theatre  was  not  large  enough 
to  hold  the  crowd  that  asked  for  admission ;  and  three 

118 


POETRY   SINCE    1881    IN   AMERICA  119 

companies,  playing  every  evening,  were  doing  a  good 
business.  But  qualitatively  the  theatres  rapidly  dete- 
riorated to  the  level  of  dime  shows.  The  theatre,  as 
established  by  Goldfaden,  has  never  been  of  an  elevated 
character  even  in  Europe,  except  as  it  treated  the  Bib- 
lical and  the  historical  drama.  Still,  it  reflected  in  a 
certain  respect  the  inner  life  of  the  Ghetto.  In  the 
New  World,  the  Jewish  life  of  the  Russian  Ghetto  is 
rapidly  losing  all  interest,  and  that  part  of  New  York 
which  in  common  parlance  is  known  as  the  Ghetto, 
deserves  its  name  only  in  so  far  as  it  is  inhabited  by 
former  denizens  of  other  Ghettos.  There  is  taking 
place  a  dulling  of  Jewish  sensibilities  which  will  ulti- 
mately result  in  the  absorption  of  the  Russian  Jews 
by  the  American  people.  This  lowered  Jewish  con- 
sciousness finds  its  expression  in  poetry  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  theatre  couplet  in  imitation  of  the  American 
song  of  the  day.  As  in  Russia,  the  plays  are  written 
by  a  host  of  incompetent  men,  not  so  much  for  the 
purpose  of  carrying  out  a  plot  as  in  order  to  weave 
into  them  songs  of  which  Jews  have  always  been  fond. 
Nearly  all  the  plays  are  melodramas,  in  which  the  con- 
tents go  for  nothing  or  are  too  absurd  to  count  for 
anything.  But  the  couplets  have  survived,  and  are 
fast  becoming  street  ballads  or  folksongs,  according  to 
the  quality  of  the  same.  Goldfaden's  songs,  in  which 
there  is  always  a  ring  of  the  true  folksong,  are  giv- 
ing place  to  the  worthless  jingles  of  Marks,  Hurwitz, 
Awramowitsch,  Mogulesco,  and  the  like,  and  the  old 
national  poems  are  being  superseded  by  weak  imita- 
tions of  '  Daisy  Bell,'  '  Do,  do,  my  Huckleberry,  Do,' 
'  The  Bowery  Girl,'  and  other  American  ballads.  Now 
and  then  a  couplet  of  a  national  character  may  be  heard 
in  the  theatres,  and  more  rarely  a  really  good   poem 


120  YIDDISH  LITERATUllE 

occurs  in  these  dramatic  performances,  but  otherwise 
the  old  folksong  is  raj^idly  decaying. 

I.  Reingold,  of  Chicago,  is  a  fruitful  balladist  who 
at  times  strikes  a  good  note  in  his  songs ;  but  in  these 
he  generally  painfully  resembles  certain  passages  in 
Rosenfeld's  poetry,  from  whom  he  evidently  gets  his 
wording  if  not  his  inspiration.  Side  by  side  with  this 
deteriorated  literature  there  goes  on  a  more  encourag- 
ing folk-singing.  Zunser,  who  now  owns  a  printing- 
otHce  in  New  York,  continues  his  career  as  a  popular 
bard  as  before,  and  has  written  some  of  his  best  poems 
in  the  New  World.  It  is  interesting  to  note  how  Amer- 
ica affects  his  Muse,  for  he  sings  now  of  the  '  Pedlar ' 
and  the  '  Plough.'  The  latter,  a  praise  of  the  farmer's 
life,  to  which  he  would  encourage  his  co-religionists, 
has  had  the  honor  of  being  translated  into  Russian. 
Among  his  later  poetry  there  is  also  one  on  '  Columbus 
and  Washington,'  in  which,  of  course,  both  are  lauded. 
The  Stars  and  Stripes  have  been  the  subject  of  many  a 
song  by  Judeo-German  poets,  which  is  significant,  since 
not  a  single  ode  has  been  produced  praising  Russia  or 
the  Czar. 

Goldfaden,  too,  has  written  some  of  his  songs  in 
America,  and  Selikowitsch  has  furnished  two  or  three 
translations  and  adaptations  that  may  be  classed  as 
folksongs.  Still  more  encouraging  is  the  class  of 
poetry  which  has  had  its  rise  entirely  in  America  or 
in  England,  for  among  these  poets  it  has  received  the 
highest  development  yet  attained. 

The  volume  entitled  'Jewish  Tunes,'  by  A.  M.  Shar- 
kansky,  contains  a  number  of  real  gems  in  poetry. 
Sharkansky  has  a  good  ear  for  rhythm  and  word 
jingling,  and  in  this  he  always  succeeds.  But  he  is 
not  equally  fortunate  in  his  ideas,  for  he  eitlier  over- 


POETRY   SINCE    1881    IN   AMERICA  121 

loads  a  picture  so  as  to  bury  tlic  meaiiinf^  of  the  poem 
in  it,  or  else  lie  does  not  finish  his  thought,  leaving  an 
impression  that  something  ought  to  folloAV.  Now  and 
then,  however,  he  produces  a  fine  song.  Among  his 
best  are  '  Jewish  INIelodies,'  in  which  he  says  that  they 
must  always  be  sad,  and  '  Songs  of  Zion,'  of  similar 
contents.  'Jossele  Journeys  to  America,'  which  is  a 
parody  on  Schiller's  '  Hektor  and  Andromache,'  and 
'  The  Cemetery,'  a  translation  of  Uhland's  '  Das  Grab,' 
give  evidence  of  a  great  mastery  of  his  dialect.  It  is 
hardly  possible  to  suspect  the  second  poem  of  being  a 
translation.  Sharkansky  has  for  some  reason  ceased  to 
sing,  which  is  to  be  regretted,  for  with  a  little  more 
care  in  the  development  of  his  ideas  he  might  have 
come  to  occup3'  an  honorable  place  among  the  best 
Judeo-German  poets. 

New  York  is  the  place  of  refuge  not  only  of  the 
laboring  men  among  the  Russian  Jews,  but  also  of 
their  cultured  and  professional  people.  These  had 
at  home  belonged  to  liberal  organizations,  which  in 
monarchical  countries  are  of  necessity  extreme,  either 
Socialistic  or  Anarchistic.  Such  advanced  opinions 
they  shared  in  Russia  with  their  Gentile  companions, 
with  whom  they  identified  themselves  by  their  educa- 
tion. Their  relations  to  the  Jewish  community  were 
rather  loose,  for  the  tendency  of  the  somewhat  greater 
privileges  which  the  Jews  enjoyed  in  the  sixties  and 
the  seventies  had  been  to  obliterate  old  lines  of  demar- 
kation  betAveen  Jew  and  Gentile.  They  had  almost 
forgotten  that  there  were  any  ties  that  united  them 
with  their  race,  when  they  were  roused  from  their 
peaceful  occupations,  to  which  the)''  had  been  devoting 
themselves,  to  the  realization  of  their  racial  difference. 
They  then   heard  for   the   first  time   that   they  were 


122  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

pariahs  alike  Avith  the  humblest  of  their  brethren. 
The  same  feeling  wliich  prompted  the  Russian  poet 
Frug  to  take  up  his  despised  Judeo-German,  drove 
many  a  man  into  the  Judeo-German  literary  field,  who 
not  only  had  never  before  written  in  that  language,  but 
who  had  hardly  ever  spoken  it.  In  England  and  Amer- 
ica such  men  could  only  hope  to  be  understood  by  a 
Jewish  public,  and  those  who  felt  themselves  called  to 
write  poetry  wrote  it  in  Judeo-German.  But  with  them 
the  language  could  only  be  the  accidental  vehicle  of 
their  thought,  without  confining  them  to  the  narrow 
circle  of  their  nation's  life.  Their  interests,  like  those 
of  young  Russia  in  general,  are  with  humanity  at  large, 
not  with  the  Jew  in  his  Ghetto,  and  their  songs  would 
not  have  lost  a  particle  of  their  significance  had  they 
been  written  in  any  other  tongue.  They  suffer  with  the 
Jew,  not  because  he  is  a  Jew,  but  because,  like  many 
other  oppressed  people,  he  has  a  grievance,  and  they 
propose  remedies  for  these  according  to  their  political 
and  social  convictions. 

David  Edelstadt  was  the  poet  of  the  Anarchistic 
party,  as  Morris  Winchevsky  represents  Socialistic  ten- 
dencies. The  influence  of  both  on  their  respective 
adherents  has  been  great,  but  the  latter  has  been  a 
power  for  good  among  a  wider  circle  of  readers,  within 
and  without  his  part}^  Both  show  by  the  language 
which  they  use  that  it  was  mere  accident  that  threw 
them  into  the  ranks  of  Judeo-German  writers,  for 
while  usually  the  diction  of  the  older  poets  abounds  in 
words  of  Hebrew  origin,  theirs  is  almost  entirely  free 
from  them,  so  that  one  can  read  their  productions  with 
no  other  knowledge  than  that  of  the  literary  German 
language. 

Edelstadt  mastered  neither  his  poetical  subjects  nor 


POETRY  SINCE   1881   IX  AMERICA  123 

the  dialect.  The  latter  is  a  composition  of  the  literary 
German  with  dialectic  forms,  and  his  rhythms  are  halt- 
ing, his  ideas  one-sided.  There  is  not  a  poem  among 
the  fifty  that  he  has  written  that  is  not  didactic.  Many 
of  these  are  in  praise  of  Anarchists  and  heroes  of  free- 
dom who  have  fallen  in  the  unequal  combat  with  the 
present  conditions  of  society.  There  are  poems  in 
memory  of  Sophia  Perovskaya,  Louise  ]\lichel,  John 
Brown,  and  even  Albert  Parsons  and  Louis  Ling.  He 
sings  of  the  eleventh  of  November,  the  Fall  of  the  Bas- 
tile,  of  strikes,  misery,  and  suffering.  Most  of  these  are 
a  call  to  war  with  society.  They  are  neither  of  the 
extreme  character  that  one  generally  ascribes  to  the 
Anarchists,  nor  do  they  sound  any  sincere  notes. 
They  seem  to  be  written  not  because  Edelstadt  is  a 
poet,  but  because  he  belongs  to  the  Anarchistic  party. 
In  all  his  collection  there  is  one  only  in  which  he  directs 
himself  especially  to  the  Jews,  and  one  of  its  stanzas  is 
significant,  as  it  lies  at  the  foundation  of  much  of  Rosen- 
f eld's  poetry:  it  tells  that  they  have  escaped  the  cruel 
Muscovite  only  to  be  jailed  in  the  dusky  sweat-shops 
where  they  slowly  bleed  at  the  sewing-machine. 

jNIorris  Winchevsky  is  a  poet  of  a  much  higher  type. 
He  is  a  man  of  high  culture,  is  conversant  with  the 
literatures  of  Russia,  France,  Germany,  and  England,  is 
pervaded  by  what  is  best  in  universal  literature,  follows 
carefully  all  the  rules  of  prosody  and  poetic  composition, 
and  above  all  is  master  of  his  dialect.  His  Socialistic 
bias  is  pronounced,  but  it  does  not  interfere  with  the 
pictures  that  he  portrays.  They  are  true  to  life,  though 
somewhat  cold  in  coloring.  His  mastery  of  Judeo- 
German,  nearly  all  of  German  origin,  is  displayed  in 
his  fine  translation  of  Thomas  Hood's  'Song  of  the 
Shirt'  and  some  of  Victor  Hugo's  poems.     His  other 


124  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

songs  show  the  same  care  in  execution  and  are  as 
perfect  in  form  as  can  be  produced  in  his  dialect. 
Winchevsky  began  his  poetical  career  in  England, 
where  he  was  also  active  as  a  Socialistic  agitator.  The 
small  collection  of  his  poetical  works  (unfortunately 
unfinished)  contains  almost  entirely  songs  which  were 
written  there.  His  American  poems  appeared  in  the 
Emeth,  which  he  published  in  Boston  in  1895  and 
in  other  periodicals.  Although  he  has  tried  himself 
in  all  kinds  of  verses,  he  prefers  dactyllic  measures, 
which  in  '  A  Broom  and  a  Sweeping '  he  uses  most 
elaborately.  The  poems  all  treat  on  social  questions 
and  describe  the  misery  of  the  lower  strata  of  society. 
He  speaks  of  the  life  of  the  orphan  whose  home  is 
in  the  street,  of  the  eviction  of  the  wretched  widow, 
of  the  imprisonment  of  the  small  boy  for  stealing  a 
few  apples,  of  the  blind  fiddler,  of  night-scenes  on 
the  Strand,  of  London  at  night.  A  large  number  of 
songs  are  devoted  more  strictly  to  Socialistic  propa- 
ganda, while  a  series  of  forty-eight  stanzas  under  the 
collective  title  '  How  the  Rich  Live '  is  a  gloomy  kaleido- 
scope through  which  pass  in  succession  the  usurer,  the 
commercial  traveller,  the  journalist,  the  preacher,  the 
cardplayer,  the  lawyer,  the  hypocrite,  the  old  general, 
the  speculator,  the  lady  of  the  world,  the  gambler  at 
races,  the  man  enriched  by  arson,  the  dissatisfied  rich 
man,  the  doctor,  the  Rabbi.  Winchevsky  has  also 
written  some  excellent  fables,  of  which  '  The  Rag  and 
the  Papershred '  and  '  The  Noble  Tom-Cat '  are  probably 
the  best.  In  all  those  the  language  alone  is  Jewish, 
everything  else  is  of  a  universal  nature,  and  the  freeing 
of  society  from  the  yoke  of  oppression  is  the  burden  of 
his  songs. 

The  most  original  poet  among  the  Russian  Jews  of 


POETRY  SINCE   1881   IN  AMERICA  125 

America  is  Morris  Rosenfeld.  He  was  born  in  1862  in 
a  small  town  in  the  Government  of  Suwalk  in  Russian 
Poland.  His  ancestors  for  several  generations  back 
had  been  fishermen,  and  he  himself  passed  many  days 
of  his  childhood  on  the  beautiful  lake  near  his  native 
home.  He  had  listened  eagerly  to  the  Aveird  folk- 
tales that  his  grandfather  used  to  tell,  and  as  a  boy 
had  himself  had  the  reputation  of  a  good  story-teller. 
At  home  he  received  no  other  education  than  that  which 
is  generally  allotted  to  Jewish  boys  of  humble  families  : 
he  studied  Hebrew  and  the  Talmud.  But  his  father 
was  more  ambitious  for  his  son,  and  when  he  moved  to 
the  city  of  Warsaw  he  provided  him  with  teachers  for 
the  study  of  German  and  Polish.  However,  Rosenfeld 
did  not  acquire  more  than  the  mere  rudiments  of  these 
languages,  for  very  soon  his  struggle  for  existence  be- 
gan. He  went  to  England  to  avoid  military  service, 
and  there  learned  the  tailor's  trade.  Thence  he  pro- 
ceeded to  Holland,  where  he  tried  himself  in  diamond 
grinding.  He  very  soon  after  came  to  America,  where 
for  many  weary  years  he  has  eked  out  an  existence  in 
the  sweat-shops  of  New  York.  He  learned  in  them  to 
sing  of  misery  and  oppression.  His  first  attempts  were 
very  weak ;  he  felt  himself  called  to  be  a  poet,  but  he 
had  no  training  of  any  kind,  least  of  all  in  poetic  dic- 
tion. For  models  in  his  own  language  he  had  only  the 
folk-singers  of  Russia,  for  Frug  began  his  activity  at  the 
same  time  as  he,  and  Perez  published  his  '  Monisch ' 
some  years  after  Rosenfeld  had  discovered  his  own 
gifts.  A  regular  tonic  structure  had  not  been  at- 
tempted before  in  Judeo-German,  and  a  self-styled 
critic  of  Judeo-German  literature  in  New  York  tried 
to  convince  him  that  his  dialect  was  not  fit  for  the 
ordinary  versification.     One   of  his  first  poems,   pub- 


126  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

lished  in  the  Jiidisches  Volksblatt  in  St.  Petersburg,  was 
curiously  enough  a  greeting  to  the  poet  Friig,  who  had 
just  published  his  first  songs  in  Judeo-German ;  how- 
ever warm  in  sentiment,  it  is  entirely  devoid  of  that 
imagery  and  word-painting  which  was  soon  to  become 
the  chief  characteristic  of  Rosenfeld's  poetry. 

Rosenfeld  has  read  the  best  German  and  English 
authors,  and  although  he  knows  these  languages  only 
superficially,  he  has  instinctively  guessed  the  inner 
meaning  contained  in  their  works,  and  he  has  trans- 
fused the  art  of  his  predecessors  into  his  own  spirit 
without  imitating  them  directly.  One  cannot  help,  in 
reading  his  verses,  discovering  his  obligations  to  Heine, 
Schiller,  Moore,  and  Shelley  ;  but  it  is  equally  apparent 
that  he  owes  nothing  to  them  as  regards  the  subject- 
matter  of  his  poems.  He  is  original  not  only  in  Jewish 
letters  but  in  universal  literature  as  well. 

Himself  in  contact  with  the  lower  strata  of  society 
and  yet  in  spirit  allied  to  the  highest ;  at  once  the  sub- 
ject of  religious  and  race  persecutions  and  of  industrial 
oppression  ;  tossed  about  among  the  opposition  parties 
or  Anarchists,  Socialists,  Populists,  without  allying  him- 
self with  any ;  by  education  and  associations  a  Jew,  and 
yet  not  subscribing  strictly  to  the  tenets  of  the  INIosaic 
Law,  —  he  voices  the  ominous  foreboding  of  the  tidal 
wave  which  threatens  to  submerge  our  civilization,  he 
utters  the  cry  of  anguish  and  despair  that  rises  in  dif- 
ferent quarters  and  condemns  the  present  order  of 
things.  Rosenfeld  does  not  scoff,  or  scorn,  or  hate. 
He  is  one  with  the  oppressor  and  the  oppressed ;  if  he 
sings  more  of  the  latter,  it  is  only  because  he  sees  more 
of  that  side  of  life.  He  is  a  sensitive  plate  that  repro- 
duces the  pictures  that  arise  before  his  mental  vision, 
and  the  gloom  of  his  poems  is  rather  that  which  he  sees 


POETRY   SINCE   ItfHl    IN   AMERICA  127 

than  that  which  he  feels ;  for  he  has  also  written  songs 
of  spring  and  happiness  in  the  few  intervals  when  the 
sky  has  looked  down  unclouded  on  the  Ghetto  in  which 
he  has  lived  so  long. 

We  shall  confine  ourselves  to  the  small  volume  of  his 
poetry,  '  The  Songs  from  the  Ghetto,'  even  though  it 
contains  but  one-tenth  of  all  the  verses  that  he  has 
written.  Who  can  read  his  '  Songs  of  Labor '  without 
shedding  tears  ?  We  enter  with  the  poet,  who  is  the 
tailor  himself,  the  murky  sweat-shop  where  the  monoto- 
nous click  of  the  sewing-machine,  which  kills  thought 
and  feeling,  mysteriously  whispers  in  your  ear :  — 

"  Ich  arbeit',  un'  arbeifc',  un'  arbeit'  ohn'  Cheschben. 
Es  schaift  sich,  un'  schal'ft  sicli,  un'  schafft  sich  ohn'  Zahl," 

and  we  see  the  workman  changed  into  just  such  an 
unfeeling  machine.  During  the  short  midday  hour 
he  has  but  time  to  weep  and  dream  of  the  end  of  his 
slavery ;  when  the  whistle  blows,  the  boss  with  his  angry 
look  returns,  the  machine  once  more  ticks,  and  the  tailor 
again  loses  his  semblance  of  a  human  being.  What 
wonder,  then,  that  tears  should  be  the  subject  of  so  many 
of  his  songs  ?  Even  when  the  laborer  returns  home  he 
does  not  find  relief  from  his  sorrows ;  his  own  child  does 
not  see  him  from  one  end  of  the  week  to  the  other,  for 
it  is  asleep  when  he  goes  out  to  work  or  returns  from 
it  ('  My  Boy').  Not  only  the  workman,  but  even  the 
mendicant,  who  has  no  home  and  finds  his  only  conso- 
lation in  his  children,  has  reason  to  curse  the  present 
system  when  he  sees  the  judge  take  them  away  from 
him  to  send  them  to  an  orphan  asylum,  —  a  species  of 
misdirected  philanthropy  ('  The  Beggar  Family  ').  Sad 
are  the  simple  words :  '  Ich  geli'  vardienen  !  '  uttered 
by  a  girl  before  the  break  of  day,  hurrying  to  the  fac- 


128  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

tory,  and  late  at  niglit,  following  a  forced  life  of  vice 
('  Whither ').  Even  death  does  not  come  to  the  unfor- 
tunate in  the  calm  way  of  Goethe's  '  Uber  alien  Gipfeln 
ist  Ruh' ' ;  not  the  birds  are  silenced,  but  the  worms  are 
waiting  for  their  companion  ('Despair').  Nay,  after 
death  the  laborer  arises  from  his  grave  to  accuse  the 
rich  neighbor  of  having  stolen  the  flowers  from  his  bar- 
ren mound  ('In  the  Garden  of  the  Dead '). 

Not  less  sad  are  his  National  Songs.  In  'Sephirah' 
he  tells  us  that  the  Jew's  year  is  but  a  succession 
of  periods  for  weeping.  Most  of  his  songs  of  that 
class  deal  with  the  tragical  conflict  between  religious 
duties  and  actualities.  Such  is  '  The  First  Bath  of 
Ablution,'  which  is  one  of  the  prettiest  Jewish  ballads. 
The  '  Measuring  of  the  Graves,'  which  relates  the 
superstition  of  the  Jews  who  study  by  candles  with 
the  wicks  of  which  graves  have  been  measured,  is 
especially  interesting,  on  account  of  the  excellent  use 
of  the  language  of  the  Tchines  made  in  it.  The 
unanswered  question  of  the  boy  in  the  '  Moon  Prayer ' 
is  one  of  many  that  the  poet  likes  to  propound.  Per- 
haps the  best  poem  under  the  same  heading  is  '  On  the 
Bosom  of  the  Ocean,'  which  is  remarkable  not  only  as  a 
sad  portrayal  of  the  misfortunes  of  the  Jew  who  is 
driven  out  of  Russia  and  is  sent  back  from  America 
because  he  has  not  the  requisite  amount  of  money 
v>^hich  would  entitle  him  to  stay  here,  but  also  on 
account  of  the  wonderful  description  of  a  storm  at 
sea.  The  same  sad  strain  passes  through  the  poems 
classed  as  miscellaneous.  Noav  it  is  the  nightingale 
that  chooses  the  cemetery  in  which  to  sing  his  sweetest 
songs  ('The  Cemetery  Nightingale ').  Or  the  flowers 
in  autumn  do  not  call  forth  regrets,  for  they  have  not 
been  smiling  on  the  poor  laborer  in  his  suffering  ('To 


POETRY   SINCE    1881    IxN   AMERICA  129 

the  Flowers  in  Autumn').  Or  again,  the  poet  com- 
pares himself  with  tlie  bird  wlio  sings  in  the  wilderness 
where  '  the  dead  remain  dead,  and  tlie  silent  remain 
silent '  ('  In  the  Wilderness  '). 

The  gloom  that  lies  over  so  many  of  Rosenfeld's 
poems  is  the  result  of  his  own  sad  experiences  in  the 
sweat-shop  and  during  his  struggle  for  existence  ;  but 
this  gloom  is  only  the  accident  of  his  themes.  Behind 
it  lies  the  inexhaustible  lield  of  the  poet's  genius  which 
adorns  and  beautifies  every  subject  on  which  he  chooses 
to  write.  The  most  remarkable  characteristic  of  his 
genius  is  to  weld  into  one  the  dramatic  action  and  the 
lyrical  qualities  of  his  verse,  as  has  probably  never  been 
attempted  before.  Whether  he  writes  of  the  sweat- 
shop, or  of  the  storm  on  the  ocean,  or  of  the  Jewish 
soldier  who  rises  nightly  from  his  grave,  we  in  every 
instance  get  a  drama  and  yet  a  lyric,  not  as  separate 
developments,  but  inextricably  combined  into  one 
whole.  Thus,  for  example,  '  In  the  Sweat-shop '  is  a 
lyrical  poem,  if  Hood's  '  Song  of  the  Shirt '  is  one,  but 
in.  so  far  as  the  poet,  or  operative,  is  turned  into  a 
machine  and  is  subjected  to  the  exterior  forces  which 
determine  his  moods  and  his  destiny,  we  have  the 
evolution  of  a  tragedy  before  us.  Similarly,  the  exact 
parallel  of  the  storm  on  the  ocean  with  the  storm  in 
the  hearts  of  the  two  Jews  in  the  steerage  is  no  less 
of  a  dramatic  nature  than  an  utterance  of  subjective 
feelings. 

Rosenfeld  does  not  confine  himself  to  pointing  out 
the  harmony  which  subsists  between  man  and  the  ele- 
ments that  control  his  moods  and  actions ;  he  carries 
this  parallelism  into  the  minutest  details  of  the  more 
technical  structure  of  his  poems :  the  amphibrachic 
measure    in   the  'Sweat-shop'  is   that  of   the    ticking 


130  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

machine,  which  in  the  two  lines  given  above  reaches 
the  highest  effect  that  can  be  produced  by  mere  words. 
In  the  'Nightingale  to  the  Laborer,'  the  intricate  versi- 
fication with  its  sonnet  rhymes,  the  repetition  of  the 
first  line  in  each  stanza  with  its  returning  repetition  in 
the  tenth  line,  the  slight  variations  of  the  same  burden 
in  each  succeeding  stanza  which  saves  it  from  monotony, 
are  all  artifices  that  the  poet  has  learned  from  the  bird 
along  his  native  lake  in  Poland.  These  two  examples 
will  suffice  to  indicate  the  astonishing  versatility  of  the 
poet  in  that  direction ;  add  to  this  the  wealth  of 
epithets,  and  yet  extreme  simplicity  of  diction  which 
never  strives  for  effect,  the  musicalness  of  his  rhythm, 
the  chasteness  of  expression  even  where  the  cynical 
situations  seem  to  make  it  difhcult  to  withstand  impre- 
cations and  curses,  and  we  can  conceive  to  what  mar- 
vellous perfection  this  untutored  poet  of  the  Ghetto 
has  carried  his  dialect  in  which  Russian,  Polish,  Hebrew, 
and  English  words  are  jostling  each  other  and  contend- 
ing their  places  with  those  from  the  German  language. 
It  was  left  for  a  Russian  Jew  at  the  end  of  the 
nineteenth  century  to  see  and  paint  hell  in  colors 
not  attempted  by  any  one  since  the  days  of  Dante  ; 
Dante  spoke  of  the  hell  in  the  after-life,  while  Rosen- 
feld  sings  of  the  hell  on  earth,  the  hell  that  he  has  not 
only  visited,  but  that  he  has  lived  through.  Another 
twenty-five  years,  and  the  language  in  which  he  has 
uttered  his  despair  will  be  understood  in  America  but 
by  few,  used  for  literary  purposes  probably  by  none. 
But  Rosenfeld's  poetry  will  survive  as  a  witness  of 
that  lowermost  hell  which  political  persecutions,  reli- 
gious and  racial  hatred,  industrial  oppression  have 
created  for  the  Jew  at  the  end  of  this  our  enlightened 
nineteenth  century. 


IX.    PROSE   WRITERS  FROM   1817-1863 

The  beginning  of  this  century  found  the  Jews  of  the 
Russian  Empire  living  in  a  state  bordering  on  Asiatic 
barbarism.  Ages  of  persecution  had  reduced  the 
masses  to  the  lowest  condition  of  existence,  had  elimi- 
nated nearly  all  signs  of  civilized  life  in  them,  and  had 
succeeded  in  making  them  the  outcasts  they  really 
were.  Incredibly  dirty  in  their  houses  and  uncleanly 
about  their  persons,  ignorant  and  superstitious  even 
beyond  the  most  superstitious  of  their  Gentile  neigh- 
bors, dishonest  and  treacherous  not  only  to  others,  but 
even  more  to  their  own  kind,  they  presented  a  sad 
spectacle  of  a  downtrodden  race.  The  legislators  made 
the  effects  of  the  maltreatment  of  previous  lawgivers 
the  pretext  for  greater  oppression  until  the  Jews  bade 
fair  to  lose  the  last  semblance  of  human  beings.  One 
need  only  go  at  this  late  hour  to  some  small  town, 
away  from  railroads  and  highways,  where  Jews  live 
together  compactly,  in  order  to  get  an  idea  of  what  the 
whole  of  Russia  was  a  century  ago,  for  in  those  distant 
places  people  are  still  living  as  their  grandfathers  did. 
Only  here  and  there  an  individual  succeeded  in  tearing 
himself  away  from  the  realm  of  darkness  to  become 
acquainted  with  a  better  existence  by  means  of  the  Men- 
delssohnian  Haskala.  In  spite  of  the  very  unfavorable 
conditions  of  life,  or  rather  on  account  of  them,  the 
Jews,  although  averse  to  all  instruction,  passed  the 
greater  part  of  their  lives,  that  were  not  given  to 
the  earning  of  a  livelihood,  in  sharpening   their  wits 

131 


132  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

over  Talmudical  subtleties.  When  they  came  in  con- 
tact with  the  learning  in  Germany,  their  minds  had 
been  trained  in  the  unprofitable  but  severe  school  of 
abstruse  casuistry,  and  they  threw  themselves  with 
avidity  on  the  new  sciences,  surpassing  even  their 
teachers  in  the  philosophic  grasp  of  the  same.  Such 
a  man  had  been  Salomon  Maimoii,  the  Kantian  scholar; 
such  men  were  later  those  followers  of  the  Haskala 
who  were  active  in  the  regeneration  of  a  Hebrew  litera- 
ture, with  whom  we  have  also  become  acquainted  in 
former  chapters  through  their  efforts  of  enlightening 
the  masses ;  foremost  of  them,  however,  was  J.  B. 
Levinsohn,  who  wrote  but  little  in  Judeo-German. 
He  was  to  the  Jews  of  Russia  what  Mendelssohn  had 
been  half  a  century  before  to  the  Jews  of  Germany. 

The  light  of  the  Haskala  entered  Russia  in  two  ways  : 
through  Galicia  and  through  Poland.  Galicia  was  the 
natural  gateway  for  German  enlightenment,  as  its  Jews 
were  instructed  by  means  of  works  written  in  Hebrew, 
which  alone,  outside  of  the  native  dialect,  could  be 
understood  in  the  interior  of  Russia.  But  this  influ- 
ence was  only  an  indirect  one,  for  soon  the  German 
language  began  to  be  substituted  and  understood  by 
the  people  of  Galicia,  whereas  that  has  never  become 
the  case  in  the  southwest  of  Russia,  that  is,  in  the  con- 
tiguous territory.  The  case  was  different  in  Russian 
Poland  and  Lithuania,  for  there  were  many  commercial 
relations  between  these  countries  and  Germany,  and 
there  existed  German  colonies  in  that  part  of  the 
Empire.  Consequently  the  ground  was  here  better 
prepared  for  the  foreign  culture.  The  seats  of  the 
Haskala  of  these  more  northern  regions  were  sucli 
towns  as  Zamoszcz  in  the  Government  of  Lublin, 
and  Warsaw.     Roughly  speaking,  tlie   geographically 


PROSE   WlJirEUS   FROM   1817-18G3  133 

favored  portion  of  the  Jewish  Pale  was  inhabited  by 
the  Misnagdim,  or  strict  ritualists,  while  the  south- 
west was  the  seat  of  that  fanatical  and  superstitious 
sect  of  the  Khassidim  against  whom  nearly  all  of  the 
satirical  literature  of  the  last  seventy-five  years  has 
been  directed. 

As  early  as  1824  there  was  published  a  periodical  in 
Warsaw  in  which  the  German  language,  or  a  corrupt 
form  of  it,  written  with  Hebrew  characters,  was 
employed  to  serve  as  an  intermediary  of  German  cul- 
ture. In  the  same  year  B.  Lesselroth  used  this  form  of 
German  in  writing  a  Polish  Grammar ^  for  the  use  of 
his  co-religionists.  As  has  been  pointed  out  before,  this 
mixture  of  Judeo-German  was  to  serve  only  as  an  inter- 
mediary for  the  introduction  of  the  literary  German 
which  at  that  time  appeared  as  the  only  possible  alter- 
native for  the  homely  dialects  of  the  Russian  Jews. 
This  mixed  language  has  unfortunately  remained  the 
literary  norm  of  the  northwest  up  to  the  present  time, 
if  one  may  at  all  speak  of  norm  in  arbitrary  compounds. 
In  the  southwest  the  dialects  were,  in  the  first  place, 
much  more  distant  from  the  German  than  the  varieties 
of  Lithuania,  and  the  greater  distance  from  German  in- 
fluence made  the  existence  of  that  corrupt  German  less 
possible.  At  about  the  same  time  two  books  were  pub- 
lished in  Judeo-German,  one  in  the  south  by  Mendel 
Leiin,  the  other  in  the  north  by  Chaikel  Hurwitz, 
which  became  the  standards  of  all  future  publications 
in  the  two  divisions  of  the  Jewish  Pale.  The  first,  by 
adhering  to  the  spoken  form  of  the  dialect,  has  led  to  a 
normal  development  of  both  the  language  and  the  liter- 

1  B.  Lesselroth,  PoJnische  volkommene  Grammatik  in  jUdisch- 
deutscher  Sprache,  fur  solche,  die  diese  Wissenschaft  ohne  Hilfe  eines 
Lehrers  erlernen  loollen,  Warsaw,  1824,  lOuio,  7G  pp. 


134  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

ature.  The  second,  being  unnatural  from  the  start, 
has  produced  the  ugliest  excrescences,  culminating  in 
the  ugliest  productions  of  Schaikewitsch  and  his  tribe 
and  still  in  progress  of  manufacture. 

Hurwitzi  was  only  following  the  iiatural  tendencies  of 
the  Haskala  when  he  chose  what  he  called  a  pure  Judeo- 
German  for  his  literary  style.  In  the  introduction  to 
his  translation  of  Campe's  '  Discovery  of  America ' 
from  his  own  Hebrew  version  of  the  same  he  says  : 
"  This  translation  of  the  '  Discovery  of  America  '  I  have 
made  from  my  Hebrew  version.  It  is  written  in  a  pure 
Judeo-German  without  the  mixture  of  Hebrew,  Polish, 
and  Turkish  words  which  one  generally  finds  in  the 
spoken  language."  It  must  however,  be  noted  that 
he  uses  German  forms  very  sparingly,  and  that  but  for 
his  avoiding  Slavic  and  Hebrew  words,  his  language  is 
really  pure.  It  is  only  later,  beginning  with  the  writ- 
ings of  Dick,  that  the  real  deterioration  takes  place. 

This  book  was  published  in  1824  at  Wilna.  Its  effect 
on  the  people  was  very  great.  Previous  to  that  year 
there  were  no  other  books  to  be  had  except  such  as 
treated  on  ethical  questions,  or  story-books,  which  had 
been  borrowed  from  older  sources  two  or  three  centuries 
before.  Books  of  instruction  there  were  none.  This 
was  the  first  ray  that  penetrated  tlie  Ghettos  from  witii- 
out.     The  people  had  no  knowledge  of  America  and 

1  This  is  the  name  given  by  Gottlober  in  his  Sichrones,  in  J'nd.  ^'oIks- 
bih.,  Vol.  I.  p.  255,  for  the  author  of  the  '  Columbus,'  but  it  appears 
that  it  was  Glinsburg  who  wrote  it  in  Hebrew ;  and  as  in  the  Judeo- 
German  translation  the  translator  speaks  of  having  translated  this  work 
from  his  Hebrew  form,  it  is  likely  that  Giinsburg  ought  to  be  substi- 
tuted for  Hurwitz.  There  are  four  copies  of  that  work  in  the  Harvard 
Library.  Two  of  them  are  late  remodellings  ;  the  other  two  have  no 
title-pages  and  seem  to  have  had  none,  so  that  I  cannot  ascertain  the 
dates  of  their  prinling. 


PROSE    WRITERS   FROM   1817-1863  135 

Columbus,  and  now  they  were  furnished  not  only  with  a 
good  story  of  adventure,  but  in  the  introduction  to  the 
book  they  found  a  short  treatise  on  geograph}',  —  tlie 
first  worldly  science  with  which  they  now  became  ac- 
quainted. It  is  interesting  to  note  here  by  way  of  par- 
allel that  a  few  years  later  the  regeneration  of  liulgaria 
from  its  centuries  of  darkness  began  with  a  small  work 
on  geography,  a  translation  from  an  American  school- 
book,  published  at  Smyrna.  It  is  true  that  to  the 
disciples  of  the  Haskala  works  on  the  sciences  were 
accessible  in  Hebrew  translations,  but  these  were  con- 
fined to  a  very  small  circle  of  readers,  and  their  influ- 
ence on  the  masses  was  insignificant.  If  the  followers 
of  the  Haskala  had  not  accepted  blindly  Mendelssohn's 
verdict  against  the  Judeo-Germau  language,  which  was 
true  only  of  the  language  spoken  by  the  Jews  of  Ger- 
many, but  had  furnished  a  literature  of  enlightenment 
in  the  vernacular  of  the  people  instead  of  the  language 
of  the  select  few,  their  efforts  would  have  been  crowned 
with  far  greater  success.  By  subscribing  uncondition- 
ally to  the  teachings  of  their  leader,  they  retarded  the 
course  of  events  by  at  least  half  a  century  and  widened 
the  chasm  between  the  learned  and  the  people,  which  it 
had  been  their  desire  to  bridge.  English  missionaries 
proceed  much  more  wisely  in  their  efforts  to  evangelize 
a  people.  They  always  choose  the  everyday  language 
in  which  to  speak  to  them,  not  the  tongue  of  literature, 
which  is  less  accessible  to  them.  Mainly  by  their 
efforts  the  Modern  Armenian  and  Bulgarian  have  been 
raised  to  a  literary  dignity,  and  with  it  there  has  always 
followed  a  regeneration  of  letters  and  a  national  con- 
sciousness that  has  in  some  cases  led  to  political  inde- 
pendence. The  missionaries  have  not  alwaj's  reaped  a 
religious  harvest,  but  their  work   has  borne    fruit  in 


136  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

many  other  ways.  In  tlie  beginning  of  tliis  century 
they  also  directed  their  attention  to  the  Christianization 
of  the  Jews  of  Pohind.  The  few  works  that  they  pub- 
lished in  the  pursuit  of  their  aim,  especially  the  New 
Testament,  are  written  in  an  excellent  vernacular,  far 
superior  to  the  one  employed  by  Hurwitz  and  Lessel- 
roth.  It  is  a  pity  the  Jewish  writers  of  the  succeeding 
generations,  particularly  in  the  northwest  of  Russia,  did 
not  learn  wisdom  from  the  English  missionaries. 

'  The  Discovery  of  America '  has  had  edition  after 
edition,  and  has  been  read,  at  first  surreptitiously,  then 
more  openly,  by  all  who  could  read,  young  and  old,  men 
and  women.  But  Hurwitz  was  not  forgiven  by  the 
fanatics  for  descending  to  write  on  worldly  matters, 
and  after  his  death  it  became  the  universal  belief  that 
the  earth  would  not  hold  him  for  his  misdeed  and  that 
he  was  walking  around  as  a  ghost,  in  vain  seeking  a 
resting-place. 

In  the  south  the  first  impulse  for  writing  in  Judeo- 
German  was  given  by  the  translations  of  the  Proverbs, 
the  Psalms,  and  Ecclesiastes  by  Minchas  Mendel  Lefin. 
Of  these  only  the  Psalms  were  published  in  1817  ;  Ec- 
clesiastes was  printed  in  1873,  while  the  Proverbs  and  a 
novel  said  to  be  written  by  him  have  never  been  issued. 
To  write  in  Jargon  was  to  the  men  of  the  Haskala  a 
crime  against  reason,  and  Lefin  was  violently  attacked 
by  Tobias  Feder  and  others.  He  found,  however,  a 
sympathizer  in  Jacob  Samuel  Bick,  who  warmly  de- 
fended him  against  Feder,  and  by  degrees  some  of  the 
best  followers  of  the  Haskala  followed  his  good  ex- 
ample. Ettinger  and  Gottlober  are  known  to  have 
received  their  first  lessons  in  Judeo-German  composition 
through  the  writings  of  Lefin,  while  by  inference  one 
may  regard  him  also  as  the  prototype  of  Aksenfeld  and 


PROSE   WRITERS   FROM   1817-1863  137 

Zweifel.  It  was  not  so  easy  to  brave  the  world  with 
the  despised  Jargon,  and  up  to  the  sixties  not  one  of  the 
works  of  these  writers  appeared  in  print.  They  passed 
in  manuscript  form  from  hand  to  hand,  until  the  favor- 
able time  had  come  for  their  publication  ;  and  then  they 
Ave  re  generally  not  printed  for  those  who  wrote  them, 
but  for  those  who  possessed  a  manuscript,  so  that  on 
the  first  editions  of  their  works  their  names  do  not 
appear  at  all. 

Lefin's  translations  mark  an  era  in  Judeo-German 
literature.  He  broke  with  the  traditional  language 
used  in  story-books  and  ethical  works  of  previous  cen- 
turies, for  that  was  merely  a  continuation  of  the  lan- 
guage of  the  first  prints,  in  which  local  differences  Avere 
obliterated  in  order  to  make  the  works  accessible  to  the 
German  Jews  oT  the  East  and  the  West.  It  Avas  not 
a  spoken  language,  and  it  had  no  literary  norm.  In 
the  meanwhile  the  A'ernacular  of  the  Slavic  Jews  had 
so  far  departed  from  the  book  language  as  to  make  the 
latter  almost  unintelligible  to  the  masses.  Lefin  chose 
to  remedy  that  by  abandoning  entirely  the  tradition,  and 
by  writing  exactly  as  the  people  spoke.  He  has  solved 
his  problem  in  a  remarkable  Avay  ;  for  although  he  cer- 
tainly knew  Avell  the  German  language,  there  is  not  a 
trace  of  it  in  his  Avritings.  He  is  not  at  a  loss  for  a 
single  Avord  ;  if  it  does  not  exist  in  his  dialect,  lie  forms 
it  in  the  spirit  of  the  dialect,  and  does  not  borrow  it 
from  German.  As  linguistic  material  for  the  study  of 
the  Judeo-German  in  the  beginning  of  this  century  the 
writings  of  Lefin,  Aksenfeld,  Ettinger,  Levinsohn,  and 
Gottlober  are  invaluable.  But  that  is  not  the  only 
value  of  Lefin's  writings.  By  acknoAA'ledging  the  peo- 
ple's right  to  be  instructed  by  means  of  an  intelligible 
language,  he   at   the   same   time    opened    up  aA^enues 


138  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

for  the  formation  of  a  popular  literature,  based  on  an 
intimate  acquaintance  with  the  mental  life  of  the  peo- 
ple. In  fact,  he  himself  gave  the  example  for  that  new 
departure  by  writing  a  novel  'The  First  Khassid.'  In 
the  northwest  the  masses  were  not  so  much  opposed  to 
the  new  culture  as  in  the  south,  hence  the  writers  could 
at  once  proceed  to  bring  out  books  of  popular  instruction 
clad  in  the  form  of  stories.  But  the  Khassidim  of  the 
south  would  have  rejected  anything  that  in  any  way 
reminded  them  of  a  civilization  different  from  their 
own.  In  ord-er  to  accomplish  results  among  them,  they 
had  to  be  more  cautious  and  to  approach  their  readers 
in  such  a  way  that  they  were  conscious  only  of  the 
entertainment  and  not  of  the  instruction  which  was 
couched  in  the  story.  This  demanded  not  only  the  use 
of  a  pure  vernacular,  but  also  a  detailed  knowledge  of 
the  mental  habits  of  the  people.  As  their  conditions 
of  life  in  no  way  resembled  those  of  any  other  people  in 
Europe,  their  literature  had  to  be  quite  unique  ;  and 
the  works  of  the  earlier  writers  are  so  peculiar  in  re- 
gard to  language,  diction,  and  style  as  to  baffle  the 
translator,  who  must  remodel  whole  pages  before  he  can 
render  the  original  intelligibly.  Of  such  a  character 
are  the  dramas  of  Aksenfeld,  Ettinger,  and  J.  B.  Levin- 
sohn. 

Ettinger,  the  first  modern  Judeo-German  poet,  has 
also  written  a  drama  under  the  name  of  '  Serkele,  or 
the  False  Anniversary.'  His  bias  for  German  culture 
shows  itself  in  the  general  structure  of  his  play,  which 
is  like  that  of  Lessing's  dramas.  The  plot  is  laid  in 
Lemberg,  and  represents  the  struggle  of  German  civili- 
zation with  the  mean  and  dishonest  ways  of  the  older 
generation.  Serkele  has  but  one  virtue,  —  that  of  an 
egotistical  love   for   her  only  daugliter,  the  half-edn- 


PROSE   WRITERS   FROM   1817-1863  139 

cated,  silly  Freude  Allele.  In  order  to  get  possession 
of  some  jewels  deposited  with  her  by  her  brother  for 
his  daughter  Hinde,  she  invents  the  story  of  his  death. 
She  is  anxious  to  marry  her  daughter  to  Gavriel  Handler, 
who  is  represented  to  her  as  a  rich  speculator,  but  who 
is  in  reality  a  common  thief.  He  steals  the  casket  con- 
taining the  jewels.  When  the  theft  is  discovered  she 
throws  the  guilt  on  Marcus  Redlich,  a  student  of  medi- 
cine, her  daughter's  private  teacher,  and  Hinde's  lover. 
Hinde,  too,  is  accused  of  complicit}*,  and  both  are  taken 
in  chains  through  the  town.  They  pass  a  hostlery  where 
a  stranger  has  just  arrived,  to  whom  Handler  is  trying 
to  sell  the  jewels.  The  stranger  is  Hinde's  father. 
He  recognizes  his  property,  and  seizes  the  thief  just  as 
his  daughter  and  her  lover  are  taken  by.  A  general 
recognition  follows,  and  all  is  righted.  He  finally  for- 
gives his  sister,  gives  a  dowry  to  Freude  Altele,  who 
marries  the  innkeeper,  while  his  daughter  is  united  to 
Marcus  Redlich. 

As  in  all  the  early  productions  of  Judeo-German 
literature,  there  are  in  that  drama  two  distinct  classes 
of  characters :  the  ideal  persons,  the  uncle,  Marcus 
Redlich  and  Hinde,  and  the  real  men  and  women  who 
are  taken  out  of  actual  life.  On  the  side  of  the  first 
is  all  virtue,  while  among  the  others  are  to  be  found 
the  ugliest  forms  of  vice.  A  worse  shrew  than  Serkele 
has  hardly  ever  been  depicted.  Her  speeches  are  com- 
posed of  a  series  of  curses,  in  which  the  Jargon  is  pecul- 
iarly inventive,  interrupted  by  a  stereotyped  complaint 
of  her  ever  failing  health.  She  hates  her  niece  with  the 
hatred  that  the  tyrant  has  for  the  object  of  his  oppres- 
sion, and  she  is  quick  to  accuse  her  of  improper  conduct, 
although  herself  of  very  lax  morals.  Nobody  in  the 
house  escapes  the  fury  of  her  tongue,  and  her  honest 


140  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

but  weak  husband  has  to  yield  to  the  inevitable.  The 
other  characters  are  all  well  drawn,  and  the  play  is 
an  excellent  portrayal  of  domestic  life  of  seventy-five 
years  ago.  It  was  written  early  in  the  twenties,  but 
was  printed  only  in  1861,  since  when  it  has  had  several 
editions. 

In  1828  J.  B.  Levinsohn  wrote  his  Hebrew  work, 
'  Teudo  Beisroel,'  by  which  the  Haskala  took  a  firm 
footing  in  Russia.  About  the  same  time  there  circu- 
lated manuscript  copies  of  a  Judeo-German  essay  by 
the  same  author,  in  which  a  sad  picture  of  Jewish 
communal  affairs  was  painted  in  vigorous  and  idio- 
matic words.  This  essay,  called  '  The  World  Turned 
Topsy-Turvy,'  ^  is  given  in  the  form  of  a  conversa- 
tion by  three  persons,  of  whom  one  is  a  stranger  from 
a  better  country  where  the  affairs  of  the  Jews  are 
administered  honestly.  The  other  two  in  turn  lay 
before  him  an  array  of  facts  which  it  is  painful  to 
regard  as  having  existed  in  reality.  It  is  interesting 
to  note  that  the  stranger,  who  is  Levinsohn  himself, 
advocates  the  formation  of  agricultural  colonies  for 
the  Jews,  by  which  he  hoped  to  better  their  wretched 
condition  and  to  gain  for  them  respect  among  those 
who  accused  them  of  being  averse  to  work. 

The  most  original  and  most  prolific  Judeo-German 
writer  of  this  early  period  was  Israel  Aksenfeld.^  He 
was  born  in  the  last  quarter  of  the  eighteenth  centur}^ 
and  had  passed  the  early  days  of  his  life  in  the  neigh- 

1  J.  B.  Levinsohn,  Die  lipfker  Welt,  in  JWd.  Vulkshib.,  Vol.  I.  pp. 
133-147.  His  biography  is  given  in  tlie  same  phice,  by  B.  Natansohn, 
on  pp.  122-132.  Both  together  are  to  be  found  in  Natansohn's  Die 
papierne  Bruck''  (q.v.). 

2  For  review  of  his  w^orks  see  0.  Lerner,  Kritv^cskij  razbor  poja- 
vivsichsja  nedavno  «a  evrejsko-neniecJcom  zargone  sodnenij  I.  Aksen- 
felcla,  etc.,  Odessa,  1868,  8vo,  15  pp. 


PROSE    WRITERS   FUOM    1817-1863  141 

borliood  of  the  Rabbi  of  Braslow,  a  noted  Khassid, 
being  himself  a  follower  of  that  sect.  Later  in  life, 
in  the  fifties,  he  is  remembered  as  a  notary  public  in 
Odessa.  He  was  a  man  of  great  culture.  Those  who 
knew  him  then  speak  in  the  highest  terms  of  the  kindly- 
old  man  that  he  was.  They  also  like  to  dwell  on  the 
remarkable  qualities  of  his  cultured  wife,  from  whom 
he  is  supposed  to  have  received  much  inspiration.  ^ 
That  is  all  that  is  known  of  his  life.  Gottlober  men- 
tions also  in  his  '  Recollections '  that  he  had  written 
twenty-six  books,  and  that  according  to  Aksenfeld's 
own  statements  they  had  been  written  in  the  twenties 
or  thereabout.  Of  these  only  five  were  printed  in 
the  sixties ;  the  rest  are  said  to  be  stored  away  in  a  loft 
in  Odessa,  where  they  are  held  as  security  for  a  debt 
incurred  by  the  trustee  of  his  estate.  Although  this 
fact  is  known  to  some  of  the  Jews  of  that  city,  no  one 
has  taken  any  steps  to  redeem  the  valuable  manuscripts. 
This  is  to  be  greatly  regretted,  as  his  books  throw  light 
on  a  period  of  history  for  which  there  is  no  other  docu- 
mentary evidence  except  that  given  by  the  writings  of 
men  who  lived  at  that  time. 

Of  the  five  books  printed,  one  is  a  novel,  the  other 
four  are  dramas.  The  first,  under  the  name  of  '  The  Fil- 
let of  Pearls,'  shows  up  the  hypocrisy  and  rascality  of  the 
Khassidic  miracle-workers,  as  only  one  who  has  himself 
been  initiated  in  their  doings  could  relate  them.  The 
hero  of  the  novel  is  Mechel  Mazeewe.  He  is  discovered 
eating  on  a  minor  fast  day,  and  the  Rabbi  uses  this  as  an 

1  She  was  very  fond  of  Jean  Paul  Richter,  and  it  is  not  at  all  im- 
possible that  the  peculiar  humor  contained  in  her  husband's  books  is 
due  to  a  transference  of  that  author's  style  to  the  more  primitive  con- 
ditions of  the  Judeo-German  novel.  His  was  a  gifted  family  :  one  of 
his  sons  became  an  artist,  the  other  a  famous  professor  of  medicine 
at  Paris. 


142  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

excuse  for  extorting  all  the  money  the  poor  fellow  had 
earned  by  teaching  little  children  and  young  women. 
His  engagement  to  one  of  his  pupils,  the  daughter  of  the 
beadle,  is  broken  off  for  the  same  reason.  Disgusted 
with  his  town,  he  goes  away  from  it  in  order  to  earn  a 
living  elsewhere.  Good  fortune  takes  him  to  Breslau, 
where  he,  for  the  first  time,  discovers  that  there  are  also 
clean,  honest,  peaceful  Jews.  He  is  regenerated,  and 
returns  to  his  native  town,  where  in  the  meantime  the 
miracle-working  Rabbi  has  succeeded  in  rooting  out 
the  last  vestige  of  heresy.  At  the  house  of  the  Rabbi, 
Mechel  has  an  occasion  to  prove  the  falseness  of  his  pre- 
tensions to  the  assembled  people.  Mechel  is  reunited 
with  his  bride. 

This  bare  skeleton  of  the  plot  is  developed  with  great 
care,  and  is  adorned  with  a  variet}^  of  incidents,  each 
forming  a  story  within  the  story.  The  biting  satire, 
the  sharp  humor,  the  rapid  development  of  situations, 
are  only  excelled  by  his  dramatic  sense,  which  makes  him 
pass  rapidly  from  descriptions,  without  elaborating  them 
to  the  form  of  dialogue.  His  mastery  of  the  dialect  is 
remarkable ;  for  although  one  can  here  and  there  detect 
his  intimate  acquaintance  with  German  literature,  there 
is  not  a  single  case  where  he  has  been  led  under 
obligations  to  the  German  language  in  thought  or 
a  word  :  German  is  as  foreign  to  him  as  French  or 
Latin.  Of  his  dramas  it  will  be  sufficient  to  discuss 
one  to  show  their  general  structure.  The  most  dramatic 
of  these  is  the  one  entitled  '  The  First  Recruit '  and 
tells  of  the  terrible  time  in  1827  when  the  Ukase 
drafting  Jewish  young  men  into  the  army  had  for  the 
first  time  been  promulgated.  T'o  the  ignorant  masses 
it  seemed  as  though  the  world  would  come  to  an  end. 
To  avoid  the  great  misfortune  of   having  their  sons 


PROSE   WRITERS   FROM    1817-1863  143 

taken  away  from  them,  they  married  them  off  before 
they  had  reached  their  teens ;  finding  that  that  did 
not  prevent  the  '  catchers '  from  seizing  them,  maimed, 
halt,  sickly  men  were  preferred  as  husbands  to  their 
daughters  ;  in  short,  all  was  done  to  avert  the  unspeak- 
able calamity  of  serving  the  Czar.  As  in  the  novel, 
there  are  plots  within  the  plot,  and  didactic  passages 
are  woven  into  the  play  without  in  the  least  disturbing 
its  unity. 

The  tragedy  consists  of  eight  scenes.  The  first 
opens  with  a  noisy  meeting  at  the  house  of  Solomon 
liascal,  a  Parnes-Chodesch  (representative  of  the  Jewish 
community),  on  a  Saturday  afternoon.  The  cause  of 
the  disturbance  is  the  order  to  furnish  one  recruit  from 
their  town,  which  had  just  been  brought  in  from  the 
capital  of  the  district  by  two  soldiers.  The  assembled 
kahal  are  wondering  whether  it  is  incumbent  upon 
them  to  sign  the  receipt  of  the  order,  while  the  infuri- 
ated mob  without  is  clamoring  that  the  Ukase  will  be 
ineffective  as  long  as  not  signed  by  the  representatives 
of  the  Congregation.  The  kahal  is  divided  on  the 
subject,  and  the  women  take  a  part  in  the  discussion, 
making  matters  lively.  Upon  the  advice  of  one  of  the 
men,  the  meeting  is  adjourned  to  the  house  of  Aaron 
Wiseman,  the  honored  merchant  of  their  town  of  No- 
where, where  they  exjDect  to  get  a  satisfactory  solution 
in  their  perplexity.  The  second  scene  is  the  ideal  scene 
of  the  play.  Here  is  depicted  the  happy  and  orderly 
home  life  of  the  cultured  merchant,  —  the  reverse 
of  the  picture  just  portrayed.  Jisrolik  the  Ukrainian 
arrives  and  announces  the  decision  of  the  kahal  to  refer 
the  matter  to  him.  Aaron  Wiseman  explains  how  the 
Emperor  had  not  intended  to  bring  new  misfortunes 
upon  the  Jews  by  the  mandate,  but  how  by  imposing 


144  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

on  them  the  honorable  duty  of  defending  their  country, 
he  was  investing  them  with  a  new  jDrivilege  upon  which 
greater  liberties  would  follow.  This  he  farther  eluci- 
dates in  the  next  scene  before  the  assembled  representa- 
tives of  the  Congregation.  The  fourth  scene  is  laid  in 
the  inn,  where  we  are  introduced  to  Nachman  the  Big, 
the  practical  joker  and  terror  of  the  town.  In  the 
following  scene,  Aaron  Wiseman  advises  the  kahal  to 
use  a  ruse  by  which  Naclniian  will  voluntarily  offer 
himself  as  a  soldier,  thus  freeing  the  town  from  the 
unpleasant  duty  of  making  a  more  worthy  family  un- 
happy. Wiseman  explains  that  Nachman  has  been 
a  source  of  trouble  to  all,  and  that  military  service 
would  be  the  only  thing  that  would  keep  him  from  a 
possible  life  of  crime.  The  ruse  is  accomplished  in  the 
follov/ing  manner  :  it  is  known  that  Nachman  has 
been  casting  his  eyes  on  Frtime,  the  good  and  beautiful 
daughter  of  Risches  the  Red,  the  tax-gatherer.  It  is 
proposed  to  send  a  schadchen  to  Nachman,  pretending 
that  Friime's  parents  seek  an  alliance  with  him,  and 
that  Friime  loves  him,  and  that  she  wants  to  get  a 
proof  of  his  affection  in  his  offering  himself  up  as  a 
soldier.  The  apparent  incongruity  of  the  request  is 
amply  accounted  for  in  the  play  by  the  fact  that  he 
who  has  lost  his  heart  also  loses  his  reason.  In  the 
next  two  scenes  the  plot  is  carried  out,  and  Nachman 
becomes  a  soldier.  The  last  scene  contains  the  traffic 
denouement.  Chanzi,  the  go-between,  comes  to  the 
house  of  Friime  and  tells  her  of  the  fraud  perpetrated 
on  Nachman.  But,  alas,  Friime  actually  loves  Nachman, 
and  she  silently  suffers  at  the  recital  of  the  stor3%  The 
climax  is  reached  when  her  father  arrives  and  tells  of 
Nachman's  self-sacrifice,  how  he  has  given  liimself  up  for 
the  love  he  bears  lier,  how  they  put  him  in  chains  and 


PROSE   WRITERS  FROM   1817-1863  145 

took  him  away.  Friime  bears  her  secret  to  the  last, 
but  her  heart  breaks,  and  she  dies.  The  sorrow  of  her 
parents  is  great.  During  the  himentation  Nachman's 
blind  mother  arrives,  led  by  a  little  girl.  She  has 
learned  of  Chanzi's  treachery,  and  breaks  out  in  loud 
curses  against  those  who  took  part  in  the  plot.  As  she 
steps  forward,  she  touches  the  dead  body  of  her  whom 
Nachman  had  thought  to  be  his  bride.  She  addresses 
her  as  though  she  were  alive  and  consoles  her  that  she 
need  not  be  ashamed  of  Nacliman,  who  had  been  an 
inoffensive,  though  somewhat  wild,  boy.  While  speak- 
ing this,  she  faints  over  her  body. 

The  characters  are  all  admirably  delineated,  and  how 
true  to  nature  the  whole  play  is  one  can  see  from  a 
matter-of-fact  story,  by  Dick,i  of  the  effects  of  the 
Ukase  on  the  city  of  Wilna.  Except  for  the  tragic 
plot,  the  drama  may  serve  as  a  historical  document  of 
the  event,  and  is  a  valuable  material  for  the  study  of 
the  Jewish  mind  in  tlie  beginning  of  Nicholas's  reign. 
This  must  also  be  said  of  the  other  plays  of  Aksenfeld, 
Avhich  all  deal  with  conditions  of  contemporary  Jewish 
society. 

Similar  to  Aksenfeld's  subject  in  '  The  Fillet  of 
Pearls '  is  the  comedy  '  The  Marriage  Veil '  by  Gott- 
lober,  which  he  wrote  in  1838.  Jossele,  a  young  man 
with  modern  ideas,  is  to  be  married  to  a  one-eyed 
monster,  while  his  sweetheart,  Freudele,  is  to  be  mated 
on  the  same  day  with  a  disfigured  fool.  By  Jossele's 
machinations,  in  which  he  takes  advantage  of  the 
superstitions  of  the  people,  lie  is  united  under  the 
marriage  veil  to  Freudele,  while  the  two  monstrosities 
are  married  to  each  other.  This  is  found  out  too  late 
to  be  mended.  This  plot  is  only  an  excuse  to  show 
1  A.  M.  Dick,  Der  erster  Xabor,  etc.,  Wilna,  1871. 


146  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

up  the  hypocrisy  and  rascality  of  the  miracle-working 
Rabbi  in  even  a  more  grotesque  way  than  in  '  The 
Fillet  of  Pearls.'  A  much  finer  work  is  his  story 
'  The  Transmigration,'  which,  however,  is  said  to  be 
based  on  a  similar  story  in  the  Hebrew,  by  Erter.  In 
this  a  dead  soul,  previous  to  finding  its  final  resting- 
place,  relates  of  its  many  transmigrations  ere  reaching 
its  last  stage.  The  succession  of  mundane  existences 
is  strictly  in  keeping  with  the  previous  moral  life  of 
the  soul.  It  starts  out  with  being  a  Khassidic  singer, 
who,  like  all  the  followers  of  the  Rabbi,  is  represented 
as  an  ignorant  dupe.  After  his  death  he  naturally 
is  turned  into  a  horse,  the  emblem  of  good-natured 
stupidity  according  to  the  popular  Jewish  idea.  Then 
he  is  in  turn  a  Precentor,  a  fish,  a  tax-gatherer,  a  dog, 
a  critic,  an  ass,  a  doctor,  a  leech,  a  usurer,  a  pig,  a  con- 
tractor. By  far  the  most  interesting  and  dramatic 
incident  is  that  of  the  doctor,  who  is  trying  to  pass  for 
a  pious  Jew,  but  who  is  caught  eating  lobsters,  which 
are  forbidden  by  the  Mosaic  Law,  and  who  dies  from 
strangulation  in  his  attempt  to  swallow  a  lobster  to 
hide  his  crime.  The  story  is  told  in  a  fluent  manner, 
is  very  witty,  and  puts  in  strong  relief  the  various  char- 
acters which  are  satirized. 

Like  the  poetry  of  the  same  period,  the  prose  litera- 
ture of  the  writers  previous  to  the  sixties  is  of  a  militant 
nature.  It  had  for  its  aim  the  dispersion  of  ignorance 
and  superstition,  and  the  introduction  of  the  Haskala 
and  Western  civilization  among  the  Jews  of  Russia. 
The  main  attack  of  all  these  early  works  was  directed 
against  the  fanaticism  of  the  Khassidic  sect,  against 
the  hypocrisy  of  its  miracle-working  Rabbis  in  whose 
interest  it  lay  to  oppose  the  light  at  all  cost.  But  the 
authors  not  only  attacked  the  evil,  they  also  showed 


PR(1SE    WRITERS   FROM   1817-1863  147 

the  way  for  a  reform  :  this  they  did  by  contrasting  the 
low,  sordid  instincts  of  the  older  generation  with  the 
quiet,  honest  lives  of  the  new.  Of  course,  the  new 
generation  is  all  German.  The  ideal  characters  of 
Ettinger's  drama,  Aksenfeld's  hero  in  '  The  Fillet  of 
Pearls,'  Gottlober's  Jossele,  have  all  received  their  train- 
ing in  Germany.  At  the  same  time,  in  accordance 
with  the  Mendelssohnian  School,  these  ideal  persons 
are  not  opposed  to  the  tenets  of  Judaism ;  on  the  con- 
trary, they  are  represented  as  the  advocates  of  a  pure 
religion  in  place  of  the  base  substitute  of  Khassidism. 
Outside  of  the  didactic  purpose,  which,  however,  does 
not  obtrude  on  the  artistic  development  of  the  story, 
the  Judeo-German  literature  of  that  period  owes  its 
impulse  to  the  three  German  authors,  Lessing,  Schiller, 
Jean  Paul  Richter.  As  regards  its  language,  the  ex- 
ample set  by  Lefin  prevails,  and  all  the  productions  are 
written  in  an  idiomatic,  pure  dialect  of  the  author's 
nearest  surroundings.  There  is  but  one  exception  to 
that,  and  that  is  '  The  Discovery  of  America,'  which, 
being  mainly  intended  for  a  Lithuanian  public,  is 
written  in  a  language  which  makes  approaches  to  the 
literary  German,  whereby  it  opened  wide  the  way  to 
misuses  of  various  kinds. 


X.     PROSE    WRITERS   FROM   1863-1881: 
ABRAMOWITSCH 

Zederbaum,!  the  friend  and  fellow-townsman  of 
Ettinger,  began  in  1863  to  publish  a  Jndeo-German 
weekly  under  the  name  of  JCol-mewasser,  as  a  supple- 
ment to  his  Hebrew  weekly,  the  Hameliz.  This  was  the 
first  organ  of  the  kind  for  Russia,  for  the  one  edited  in 
Warsaw  forty  years  before  was  not  written  in  the  dialect 
of  the  people.  Let  us  look  for  the  cause  of  such  an  inno- 
vation. 

The  advocates  of  the  Haskala  regarded  it  as  one  of 
their  sacred  duties  to  spread  culture  wherever  and 
whenever  they  could  do  so.  This  they  did  through 
the  medium  of  the  Hebrew  and  the  Judeo-German. 
The  first  was  a  literary  language,  the  other  was  not 
regarded  as  worthy  of  being  such.  If,  therefore,  there 
was  some  cause  to  feel  an  author's  pride  in  attaching 
one's  name  to  productions  in  the  first  tongue,  there  was 
no  inducement  to  subscribe  it  to  works  in  the  second. 
It  was,  to  a  certain  extent,  a  sacrifice  that  the  authors 
made  in  condescending  to  compose  in  Judeo-German, 
and  the  only  reward  they  could  expect  was  the  good 
their  books  would  do  in  disseminating  the  truth  among 
their  people.  The  songs  of  M.  Gordon  and  Gottlober, 
and  the  works  of  Ettinger  and  Aksenfeld,  were  passed 
anonymously  throughout  the  whole  land.  The  books 
were  not  even  printed,  but  were  manifolded  in  manu- 
script form  by  those  who  had  the  Haskala  at  heart.     A 

^  Short  biography  in  Sseefer  Sikuron,  p.  97. 
148 


PROSE    WKITKUS   FROM   1863-1881  149 

few  years  before  tlie  issue  of  the  Kol-mewasser,  the  efforts 
of  these  men  began  to  bear  ample  fruit.  It  was  no 
longer  dangerous  to  be  called  a  '  German,'  and  many 
Jewish  children  were  being  sent  to  the  gymnasia,  to 
which  the  Government  had  in  the  meanwhile  admitted 
them.  The  Rabbinical  schools  at  Wilna  and  Zhitomir, 
too,  were  graduating  sets  of  men  who  had  been  receiv- 
ing religious  instruction  according  to  the  improved 
methods  of  the  Haskala.  It  was  then  that  some  of  the 
works  written  decades  before,  for  the  first  time  saw  day- 
light, but  more  as  a  matter  of  curiosity  of  what  had 
been  done  long  ago,  than  with  any  purpose.  It  would 
even  then  have  been  somewhat  risky  to  sign  one's  name 
to  them  for  fear  of  ridicule,  and  no  native  firm  would 
readily  undertake  their  publication.  Thus  the  first  two 
works  of  Aksenfeld  were  issued  from  a  press  at  Leipsic 
in  1862,  while  Ettinger's  '  Serkele '  had  appeared  the 
year  before  at  Johannisburg.  Only  the  following  year 
Linetzki's  '  Poems '  Avere  published  at  Kiev,  and,  by 
degrees,  the  authors  took  courage  to  abandon  their 
anonyms  and  pseudonyms  for  their  own  names.  The 
time  was  ripe  for  a  periodical  to  collect  the  scattered 
forces,  for  there  was  still  work  to  be  done  among  those 
who  had  not  mastered  the  sacred  language,  and  they 
were  in  the  majority.  At  that  juncture,  Zederbaum 
began  to  issue  his  supplement  to  the  Hameliz. 

This  new  weekly  was  not  only  the  crowning  of  the 
work  of  the  past  generation  of  writers,  it  became  also 
the  seminary  of  a  new  set  of  authors.  It  fostered  the 
talents  of  those  who,  for  want  of  a  medium  of  publica- 
tion, might  have  devoted  their  strength  entirely  to 
Hebrew,  or  would  have  attempted  to  assimilate  to  tliem- 
selves  the  language  of  the  country.  In  the  second  year 
of  the  existence  of  the  periodical,  there  appeared  in  it 


150  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

'  The  Little  Man,'  the  first  work  of  Abramowitsch,  who 
was  soon  to  lead  Judeo-German  literature  to  heights 
never  attempted  before  by  it,  and  with  whom  a  new  and 
more  fruitful  era  begins. 

Solomon  Jacob  Abramowitsch  ^  was  born  in  1835,  in 
the  town  of  Kopyl,  in  the  Government  of  Minsk.  He 
received  his  Jewish  instruction  in  a  Cheeder,  and  later 
in  a  Jesohiwe,  a  kind  of  Jewish  academy.  He  conse- 
quentl}',  up  to  his  seventeenth  year,  had  had  no  other 
instruction  except  in  religious  lore.  His  knowledge  of 
Hebrew  was  so  thorough  that,  at  the  age  of  seventeen, 
he  was  able  to  compose  verses  in  that  language.  He 
lost  his  father  early,  and  his  mother  married  a  second 
time.  When  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  there  arrived 
in  his  native  town  a  certain  Awremel  the  Lame,  who 
had  been  leading  a  vagabond's  life  over  the  southern 
part  of  Russia.  He  told  so  many  wonderful  stories 
about  Volhynia,  where,  according  to  his  words,  there 
flowed  milk  and  honey,  that  many  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Kopyl  were  thinking  of  emigrating  to  the  south. 
Awremel  also  persuaded  Abramowitsch's  aunt  to  go 
with  him  in  search  of  her  absent  husband.  That  she 
did,  taking  her  nephew  along  with  her.  It  soon  turned 
out,  however,  that  Awremel  was  exploiting  them  as 
objects  of  charity,  by  collecting  alms  over  the  breadth 
and  length  of  the  country.  For  several  months  he  kept 
zigzagging  in  his  wagon  from  town  to  town,  wherever  he 
expected  to  find  charitable  Jews,  until  at  last  they  ar- 
rived a  certain  distance  beyond  Kreraenets.  Here  they 
passed  a  carriage  from  which  proceeded  a  voice  call- 

^  For  fuller  information  on  the  life  and  works  of  Abramowitsch 
see  his  autobiography  in  Sseefer  Sikoron,  pp.  117-126 ;  see  also  the 
references  in  the  Sistematiteskij  ukazateV,  p.  286,  Nos.  4663-4669,  of 
which  No.  4665  is  the  most  important. 


PROSE   WRITERS   FROM   18G3-1881  151 

ing  Abramowitsch  by  his  given  name.  They  stopped, 
and  Abramowitsch  was  astonished  to  discover  his  friend 
of  his  childliood,  who  had,  in  the  meantime,  become  a 
chorister  in  Kremenets.  The  Letter  invited  his  j^outh- 
ful  friend  to  go  back  to  town  with  him,  promising  to 
take  care  of  him.  This  the  young  wanderer  was  only 
too  glad  to  do,  for  he  wished  to  be  rid  of  Awremel,  who 
had  been  tantalizing  him  with  his  almsbegging.  The 
Precentor,  who  was  in  the  carriage  with  the  chorister, 
paid  off  the  driver,  and  Abramowitsch  started  with 
them  back  to  town,  where  a  new  period  began  in  his 
life. 

His  thorough  acquaintance  with  the  Talmud  and  the 
Hebrew  language  soon  gained  him  many  friends,  and  he 
was  able  to  make  a  living  by  teaching  the  children  of 
the  wealthier  inhabitants.  One  of  his  friends  advised 
him  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  the  poet  Gottlober, 
who,  at  that  time,  was  teaching  in  one  of  the  local 
Jewish  schools.  The  old  man  who  was  giving  him  that 
counsel  added  :  "  Go  to  see  him  some  evening  when  no 
one  will  notice  you,  and  make  his  acquaintance.  He  is 
an  apostate  who  shaves  his  beard,  and  he  does  not  enjoy 
the  confidence  of  our  community.  Nor  do  we  permit 
young  men  to  cultivate  an  acquaintance  Avith  him  ;  but 
you  are  a  learned  man,  and  you  will  know  how  to  meet 
the  statements  of  that  heretic.  He  is  a  fine  Hebrew 
scholar,  and  it  might  do  you  good  to  meet  him.  Re- 
member the  words  of  Rabbi  Meier :  '  Eat  the  whole- 
some fruit,  and  cast  away  the  rind.'  Fll  tell  the  beadle 
to  show  you  the  way  to  the  apostate." 

On  the  evening  of  the  following  day,  Abramowitsch 
betook  himself,  with  a  copy  of  a  Hebrew  drama  he  had 
composed,  to  the  house  of  Gottlober.  Tlie  latter  smiled 
at  the  childish  attempt  of  the  young  Talmudist,  but  he 


152  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

did  not  fail  to  recognize  the  talent  that  needed  only  the 
fostering  care  of  a  teacher  to  reach  its  full  develop- 
ment, and  lie  himself  offered  his  services  to  him,  and 
invited  him  to  be  a  frequent  caller  at  his  house.  Here, 
under  the  guidance  of  Gottlober's  elder  daughter,  he 
received  his  first  instruction  in  European  languages, 
and  in  the  rudiments  of  arithmetic.  He  swallowed  with 
avidity  everything  he  could  get,  and  soon  he  was  able 
to  write  a  Hebrew  essay  on  education  which  was  printed 
in  the  Hamagid,  and  which  attracted  much  attention  at 
the  time.  His  fate  soon  led  him  to  Berdichev,  "  the 
Jewish  Moscow,"  where  he  married  for  a  second  time, 
and  settled  down  for  many  years.  In  1859  his  first 
serious  work,  still  in  Hebrew,  was  published.  In  1863 
began  his  Judeo-German  career,  in  which  he  still  con- 
tinues, and  which  has  made  him  famous  among  all  who 
read  in  that  language. 

The  tradition  of  the  Haskala  came  down  to  Abramo- 
witsch  in  an  uninterrupted  succession,  from  Mendel 
Lefin  through  Ettinger  and  Gottlober.  He,  too,  started 
out  with  the  set  purpose  of  spreading  enlightenment 
among  his  peojDle,  and  in  his  first  two  works  we  find  a 
sharp  demarkation  between  the  two  kinds  of  character, 
the  ideal  and  the  real.  But  he  was  too  much  of  an  artist 
by  nature  to  persevere  in  his  didactic  attitude,  and 
before  long  he  abandoned  entirely  that  field,  to  devote 
his  undivided  energy  to  the  production  of  purely  artistic 
works.  Even  his  earlier  books,  in  which  he  combats 
some  public  nuisance,  differ  materially  from  those  of 
his  predecessors  in  that  they  reflect  not  only  conditions 
of  society  as  they  actually  existed  at  his  time,  but  in 
that  his  characters  are  true  studies  from  nature.  No 
one  of  his  contemporaries  reading,  for  example,  his 
'  The  Little  Man,'  could  be  in  doubt  of  who  was  meant 


PROSE   WRITERS  FROM  1863-1881  163 

by  this  or  that  name.  The  portrait  was  so  closely,  and 
yet  so  artisticall}',  copied  from  some  well-known  denizen 
of  Berdichev  that  there  could  be  no  doubt  as  to  the 
identity.  There  are  even  more  essential  points  in  his 
stories  and  dramas  in  wdiich  he  widely  departs  from  his 
predecessors.  While  these  saw  in  a  religious  reform 
and  in  German  culture  a  solution  out  of  the  degraded 
state  into  which  their  co-religionists  had  fallen,  he 
preached  that  a  reform  from  within  must  precede  all 
regeneration  from  without.  Wliile  thej^  directed  their 
attacks  against  the  Khassidim  as  the  enemies  of  light, 
and  their  Rabbis  as  their  spiritual  guides,  he  cautiously 
avoided  all  discussions  of  religion  and  culture,  and 
sought  in  local  commuiial  reforms  a  basis  for  future 
improvements.  To  him  the  physical  well-being  of  the 
masses  was  a  more  important  question  than  their  spir- 
itual enlightenment,  and  according  to  his  ideas  a  moral 
progress  was  only  possible  after  the  economical  condition 
had  been  considerably  bettered.  His  precursors  had 
looked  upon  the  Haskala  as  the  most  precious  treasure, 
to  be  preferred  to  all  else  in  life.  Abramowitsch  loves 
his  people  more  than  wisdom  and  culture,  and  the  more 
oppressed  and  suffering  those  he  loves,  the  more  earnest 
and  the  more  ferV'Cnt  are  his  words  in  their  behalf.  He 
is  the  advocate  of  the  poor  against  the  rich,  the  down- 
trodden against  the  oppressor,  the  meek  and  long-suffer- 
ing against  the  haughty  usurper  of  the  people's  rights. 
He  is,  consequently,  worshipped  by  the  masses,  and  has 
been  hated  and  persecuted  by  those  whose  meanness, 
rascalit}'",  and  hypocrisy  he  has  painted  in  such  glaring 
colors.  He  had  even  once  to  flee  for  his  life,  so  en- 
raged had  the  representatives  of  the  kahal  become  at 
their  lifelike  pictures  in  one  of  his  dramas.  His  love 
for  the  people  is  an  all-pervading  passion,  for  man  is  his 


154  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

Godhead.  There  is  a  divine  element  in  the  lowest  of 
liuman  beings,  and  he  thinks  it  worth  while  to  dis- 
cover it  and  to  bring  it  to  light,  that  it  may  outshine 
all  the  vices  that  have  beclouded  it.  He  turns  beggar 
with  the  beggar  he  describes,  becomes  insane  with  him 
who  ponders  over  the  ills  of  this  earth,  and  suffers  the 
criminal's  punishment.  He  at  all  times  identifies 
himself  with  those  of  whom  he  speaks. 

In  the  more  external  form  of  composition  there  is 
again  a  vast  progress  from  the  writings  of  Lefin  to  the 
style  and  diction  of  Abramowitsch.  Lefin  was  the  first 
to  show  what  vigor  there  was  in  the  use  of  the  everyday 
vernacular.  Ettinger,  Aksenfeld,  and  Gottlober  have 
well  adapted  that  simple,  unadorned  speech  to  the  re- 
quirements of  literary  productions ;  but  it  was  only 
Abramowitsch  who  demonstrated  what  wealth  of  word- 
building,  what  possibilities  of  expression,  lay  dormant 
in  the  undeveloped  dialects  of  Judeo-German.  He  was 
peculiarly  fitted  to  enrich  the  language  by  new  forma- 
tions, for  having  passed  the  first  eighteen  years  of  his 
life  in  Lithuania  and  passing  the  greater  part  of  his 
later  years  in  the  Southwest,  he  was  enabled  to  draw 
equally  from  the  source  of  his  native  Lithuanian  dia- 
lect and  the  spoken  variety  of  his  new  home.  He  has 
welded  the  two  so  well  that  his  works  can  be  read  with 
equal  ease  in  the  North  and  in  the  South,  whereas  the 
language  of  Aksenfeld  offers  a  number  of  difficulties 
to  the  Lithuanians  and  even  the  Polish  Jews  whose  dia- 
lect the  Southern  variety  resembles.  In  diction  he  dif- 
fers from  his  masters  in  that  he  substitutes  a  regular 
prose  structure  for  the  semi-dramatic  utterances  of  the 
older  narration,  without  affecting  the  natural  speeches 
of  the  characters  wherever  these  are  introduced.  In 
tliese  cases  he  becomes  so  idiouuitic  as  to  barile  the  Ijost 


PROSE   WRITERS  FROM   1863-1881  155 

translator,  who  luiist  be  frequently  satisfied  with  mere 
circumlocutions.  He  also  abandons  the  anonym  of  the 
former  generation  for  a  pseudonym,  Mendele  the  Book- 
pedler,  Avhich  is,  however,  but  a  thin  disguise  for  his 
real  name,  for  his  writings  are  of  such  an  individuality 
that  there  can  be  no  doubt  about  their  authorship. 
Beginning  with  Abramowitsch  style  is  regarded  as  an 
important  requisite  of  a  Judeo-German  work. 

Now  we  shall  turn  to  the  discussion  of  his  several 
books.  The  subject  of  his  first,  '  The  Little  Man,'  is  an 
autobiography  of  a  man,  who,  by  low  flattery,  vile  ser- 
vility, and  all  dishonest  ways,  rises  to  high  places  of 
emolument  which  he  uses  entirely  in  order  to  enrich 
himself  at  the  expense  of  the  people.  Such  men  had 
been  the  bane  of  Jewish  communities  in  the  middle  of 
our  century.  In  Berdichev  it  was,  at  the  time  of  the 
publication  of  the  book,  Jacob  Josef  Alperin,  who  by 
similar  means  had  come  to  be  the  right  hand  of  the 
Governor  General,  Bibikov ;  but  far  more  vile  than  he 
was  Hersch  Meier  Held,  who  stood  in  the  same  relation 
to  Alperin  that  the  latter  occupied  to  the  Governor 
General.  That  flunky  of  a  flunky  is  personified  as  the 
hero  of  the  story,  Isaac  Abraham  Takif .  In  this  work 
we  still  have  the  ideal  persons  of  the  older  writers. 
We  are  introduced  there  to  a  poor,  honest,  and  cultured 
family,  in  whom  one  cannot  fail  to  recognize  his  master 
and  friend,  Gottlober,  and  his  daughter. 

If  this  work  made  him  a  host  of  friends  among  those 
who  were  the  victims  of  Alperin  and  Held,  the  next 
drama  he  wrote  endangered  his  stay  in  Berdichev,  for 
the  persons  attacked  in  it,  the  representatives  of  the 
kahal,  would  not  shrink  from  any  crime  to  rid  them- 
selves of  a  man  who,  like  Abramowitsch,  had  come  to 
be  a  power  and  a  stumbling-block  to  their  incredible 


156  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

rascalities.  The  greatest  curse  of  the  Jewish  commu- 
nity in  Russia  liad  ever  been  the  meat  and  candle  tax, 
which  all  had  to  pay,  nominally  to  support  communal 
institutions,  but  the  greater  part  of  which  went  into  the 
pockets  of  the  representatives  of  the  kahal  to  whom  the 
tax  was  farmed  out.  No  meat  and  no  candle  could  be 
purchased  without  that  arbitrary  imposition  by  the 
members  of  the  kahal,  who  in  their  fiendish  craving  for 
money  increased  the  original  cost  of  meat  several  fold, 
and  who  spared  no  means,  however  criminal,  to  silence 
any  opposition  to  their  doings.  It  is  these  men  that 
Abramowitsch  had  the  courage  to  hold  up  to  the  scorn 
of  the  people  in  his  'The  Meat-Tax,  or  the  Gang  of 
City  Benefactors.'^  He  liad  to  flee  for  his  life,  but  the 
drama  did  its  work.  It  even  attracted  the  attention  of 
the  Government,  which  tried  to  remedy  the  evil.  It 
became  the  possession  of  the  people,  and  many  of  its 
salient  sentences  have  become  everyday  proverbs.  The 
revolt  against  that  Gang  of  City  Benefactors  of  Ber- 
dichev  was  so  great  that  Moses  Josef  Chodrower,  whom 
all  recognized  as  the  prototype  of  the  arch-rascal  Spodek 
in  the  play,  and  who  had  been  a  prominent  and  wealthy 
merchant,  was  soon  driven  into  bankruptcy  by  the  in- 
furiated population  that  refused  to  support  him.  That 
was  the  first  time  that  a  literary  production  written  in 
Judeo-German  had  become  a  factor  in  social  affairs. 
A  Russian  troupe  that  was  then  playing  at  Berdichev 
wanted  to  give  a  Russian  version  of  the  drama,  but  was 
restrained  from  doing  so  by  the  machinations  of  the 
kahal.     The  book  had  done  its  work  thoroughly. 

In  the  same  year  tliere  appeared  his  story  from  the 
life  of   the  Jewish  mendicants,  'Fischke   the  Lame.'^ 

1  Translated  into  Russian  by  Tetrikovski. 

2  Reviews  of  this  work  are  in  Jlhl.  Volksblutt,  Vol.  VIII.  (Beilage), 


PROSE   WRITERS  FROM   18G3-1881  157 

This  psychological  study  of  the  impulses  of  the  lowest 
dregs  of  society  is  probabl}'  unique  in  all  literature. 
It  is  a  love  story  from  the  world  of  the  lame  and  the 
halt  that  constitute  the  profession  of  mendicants  in  the 
Jewish  part  of  every  Russian  town  in  the  West.  But  it 
is  not  merely  the  love  of  Fischke  the  Lame  for  a  beggar 
girl  and  the  jealousy  of  his  blind  wife,  who  tyrannizes 
over  him  in  spite  of  her  affiiction,  that  we  are  made 
acquainted  with  in  that  remarkable  book.  We  are 
introduced  there  to  a  class  of  people  with  entirely  dif- 
ferent motives,  different  aims  in  life,  from  those  we  are 
accustomed  to  see  about  us.  They  hide  from  daylight 
and  have  a  morality  of  their  own  ;  but  yet  they  are 
possessed  of  the  passions  that  we  find  in  beings  endowed 
with  all  the  senses  and  enjoying  the  advantages  of  well- 
organized  society.  One  must  have  lived  among  them, 
been  one  of  them,  so  to  reproduce  their  language,  their 
thoughts,  as  Abramowitsch  has  done  in  this  novel ;  and 
one  must  have  broad  sympathies  with  all  humankind 
to  be  able  to  find  the  divine  spark  ablaze  even  in  the 
lowest  men. 

His  next  work, '  The  Dobbin,'  ^  is  the  most  perfect  of 
his  productions.  It  unites  into  one  a  psj-chological 
study  of  a  demented  man,  with  a  delicate  allegory,  in 
which  the  history  of  his  people  in  Russia  is  delineated, 
thus  serving  as  a  transition  from  the  pure  novel  in  his 
former  production  to  the  composite  allegory  in  his 
poetical  work  '  Judel '  which  was  published  a  few  j^ears 
later.  It  combines  a  biting  satire  with  a  tragic  story  ; 
it  is  a  prophecy  and  a  history  in  one.  If  the  '  Meat 
Tax '  had  made  him  the  favorite  of  the  masses  who 

pp.  1385-1396,  by  J.  Levi;  and  Voschod,  1880,  Nos.  1,  2,  4,  by 
M.  G.  ilorgulis. 

1  Translated  into  Polish  by  Kleuiens  Junosza. 


158  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

suffered  from  the  oppression  of  the  members  of  the 
kahal,  '  The  Dobbin '  was  calculated  to  endear  him  with 
all  who  professed  the  Jewish  faith ;  for  while  the  first 
pointed  out  an  internal  evil  which  could  be  remedied, 
the  second  painted  in  vivid  colors  their  sufferings  in  the 
present  and  the  misfortunes  which  awaited  them  in  the 
future,  which  were  entirely  of  an  external  nature  over 
which  they  had  no  control.  It  showed  them  more 
graphically  than  anything  that  had  been  said  hereto- 
fore how  helpless  they  were  to  meet  the  charges  which 
were  continually  cast  against  them  by  the  Gentiles  and 
the  Government.  Abramowitsch  foresaw  that  the  turn- 
ing-point in  the  inner  life  of  his  race  was  near  at  hand, 
that  the  call  to  progress  of  the  early  writers  had  availed 
them  little  in  righting  them  with  the  world  without,  that 
his  own  productions  acquainting  them  with  their  weak 
points  from  within  were  now  out  of  place,  and  that 
soon  they  would  need  only  words  of  consolation  such  as 
are  uttered  when  a  great  calamity  overtakes  a  people. 

In  1873  hardly  any  one  dreamed  of  the  possibility  of 
the  riots  against  the  Jews  that  were  to  be  inaugurated 
eight  years  later,  for  it  was  just  then  that  the  highest 
privileges  had  been  granted  to  them,  and  the  assimila- 
tion had  been  going  on  to  such  an  extent  that  Judeo- 
German  literature  would  have  been  a  thing  of  the  past, 
had  not  the  writers  of  the  previous  decade  continued 
now  and  then  to  issue  a  volume  of  their  works.  But 
Abramowitsch  saw  that  the  reforms  of  Alexander  II. 
were  not  conceived  in  the  same  liberal  spirit  as  had 
been  proposed  by  Nicholas  I.,  and  that  sooner  or  later 
they  would  be  followed  by  retrenchments  such  as  would 
throw  the  Jews  back  into  conditions  far  worse  than 
those  they  had  been  in  half  a  century  before  ;  for  they 
would  find  no  avenues  for  their  many  new  energies 


PROSE   WRITERS   FROM   1863-1881  159 

which  they  had  developed  in  the  meanwhile.  It  is 
this  coming  event  that  the  author  has  depicted  in  his 
fantastic  story,  'The  Dobbin.'  Jisrolik  has  made  up 
his  mind  to  acquire  Gentile  culture,  and  he  is  preparing 
himself  for  an  examination  in  the  Gymnasium.  He 
falls  in  with  a  Dobbin  that  is  pursued  by  everybody, 
and  this  so  affects  him,  together  with  the  worry  over 
his  examination,  that  he  becomes  demented,  and  he 
imagines  that  the  Dobbin  is  talking  to  him.  After 
that  the  animal  is  introduced  as  a  transmigrated  soul 
that  tells  its  biography.  The  Dobbin  is  the  personifica- 
tion of  the  Jewish  race.  The  book  was  very  popular, 
and  although  there  was  a  demand  for  new  editions,  the 
Russian  Government  would  not  permit  them,  as  even 
this  veiled  allegory  appeared  to  it  as  too  open  an  accu- 
sation of  its  acts.  Only  sixteen  years  later  the  censor 
relaxed  and  allowed  a  second  edition  to  appear. 

In  1879  there  was  published  by  Abramowitsch  a  vol- 
ume entitled  'The  Wanderings  of  Benjamin  the  Third,' ^ 
which  is  an  excellent  pendant  to  Cervantes's  famous 
work  and  which  has  therefore  been  called  by  its  Polish 
translator  'The  Jewish  Don  Quixote.'  The  subject  of 
his  caricature  was  a  real  fellow,  named  Tscharny,  who 
had  been  employed  by  some  French  society  to  under- 
take a  scientific  journey  into  the  Caucasus,  but  who  was 
entirely  unfit  for  the  work,  as  he  had  a  very  superficial 
knowledge  of  geography.  For  his  more  immediate  pur- 
pose Abramowitsch  copied  a  crazy  fellow  who  was  all 
the  time  citing  passages  from  a  fantastic  Hebrew  geog- 
raphy he  had  been  poring  over.  Out  of  this  Abramo- 
witsch evolved  the  story  of  the  Quixotic  fellow  who 
starts  out  to  discover  the  mystic  river  Sambation  and 
the  tribe  of  the  Red  Jews,  but  who  never  gets  any 
1  Translated  into  Polish  by  Klemeiis  Junosza. 


160  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

fiivtlier  than  the  town  of  Berdichev  and  its  dirty  river 
Gnilopyat. 

Of  the  other  works  ^  of  Abramowitsch  the  most  im- 
portant is  his  drama  '  The  Enlistment,'  whicli  deals  with 
the  same  subject  as  Aksenfeld's  '  The  First  Recruit,' 
but  referring  it  to  more  modern  times.  After  a  long 
silence  the  author  has  again  resumed  his  pen,  and 
one  may  look  forward  for  some  new  classics  in  Judeo- 
German.  He  has  also  written  a  number  of  popular 
scientific  articles,  which  have  been  widely  circulated 
by  means  of  calendars  which  he  has  edited.  His  popu- 
larity as  a  writer  is  best  illustrated  by  the  fact  that  for 
a  series  of  years  his  income  from  his  books  and  calen- 
dars has  amounted  to  three  thousand  roubles  a  year. 
Considering  the  poverty  of  the  reading  public,  for 
whom  cheap  editions  have  to  be  issued,  and  the  gen- 
eral custom  of  borrowing  books  rather  than  buying 
them,  this  will  appear  as  a  very  great  sum  indeed. 
Many  of  the  younger  authors  lovingly  refer  to  him  as 
the  '  Grandfather,'  although  no  one  has  attempted  to 
imitate  him  either  in  manner  or  style.  He  forms  by 
himself  a  school,  and  would  have  been  the  last  to 
write  in  the  dialect  but  for  the  occurrences  of  the 
eighties  that  have  been  the  cause  of  a  new  set  of 
writers  who  have  no  reason  to  follow  the  authors  of  the 
period  of  the  Haskala,  but  who  dip  their  pens  in  the 
blood  that  has  been  shed  in  the  riots,  or  who  from 
the  same  cause  speak  to  their  brethren,  though  not  of 
them. 

1  His  shorter  stories  have  appeared  in  Haiisfreund,  Vol.  I.  pp.  128- 
134:  Vol.  III.  pp.  1-9;  Vol.  IV.  pp.  3-25;  'jild.Volksbib.,  Vol.  II. 
pp.  7-9;> ;  JUd.  Volkskalender,  Vol.  III.  pp.  53-64. 


XL     PROSE   WRITERS   FROM   1863-1881: 
LINETZKI,   DICK 

In  1867  the  Kol-meivasser  began  publishing  ii  serial 
story  by  Linetzki^  under  the  name  of  '  The  Polish  Boy.' 
Its  popularity  at  once  became  so  great  that  to  satisfy 
the  impatient  public  the  editor  was  induced  to  print  the 
whole  in  book  form  as  a  supplement  long  before  it  had 
been  finished  in  the  periodical.  The  interest  in  the 
book  lay  not  so  much  in  the  fact  that  it  was  written 
\vith  boundless  humor  as  in  its  being  practically  an 
autobiography  in  which  the  readers  found  so  much  to 
bring  back  recollections  of  their  own  sad  youth.  They 
found  there  a  graphic  description  of  the  whole  course 
of  a  Khassid's  life  as  no  one  before  Linetzki  had  painted 
it,  —  as  only  one  could  paint  it  who  had  himself  been  one 
of  the  sect,  standing  in  an  even  nearer  relation  to  their 
Rabbis  than  had  been  the  case  with  Aksenfeld.  While 
the  latter  had  been  a  follower  of  one,  Linetzki  had 
narrowly  escaped  being  a  Rabbi  himself,  had  suffered 
all  kinds  of  persecution  for  attempting  to  abandon  the 
narrow  sphere  of  a  Khassid's  activity,  and  knew  from 
bitter  experience  all  the  facts  related  in  his  work.  The 
story  of  his  own  life,  unadorned  by  any  fiction,  was 
dramatic  enough  to  be  worth  telling,  but  he  has  en- 
riched it  with  so  many  details  of  everyday  incidents  as 
to  change  the  simple  biography  into  a  valuable  cyclo- 
pedia of  the  life  and  thoughts  of  his  contemporaries,  in 

1  Short  notice  of  his  works  in  Sseefer  Sikoron,  pp.  59,  60;  cf.  also 
notices  mentioned  in  Sistemati6eskij  ukazatel,  p.  286,  Nos.  4G70-4672. 

161 


1G2  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

which  one  may  get  information  on  the  folklore,  games, 
education,  superstitions,  and  habits  of  his  people  in  the 
middle  of  our  century. 

Linetzki  was  born  in  1839  in  Vinitsa,  in  the  Govern- 
ment of  Podolsk.  At  the  age  of  six  he  was  far  enough 
advanced  in  Hebrew  to  begin  the  study  of  the  Talmud. 
At  ten  he  had  passed  through  all  the  Jewish  schools, 
and  there  was  nothing  left  for  his  teachers  to  teach 
him.  He  was  an  Ilui^  an  accomplished  scholar,  but  his 
father,  who  was  a  Khassidic  Rabbi,  was  not  satisfied 
with  his  mere  scholastic  acquirements  ;  he  wanted  him 
to  be  initiated  in  all  the  mysteries  of  the  Cabbala  which 
would  make  of  him  a  fanatical  Khassid.  He  was  put 
for  that  purpose  in  the  hands  of  a  few  of  his  blind  fol- 
lowers, who  did  not  spare  any  means  to  kill  the  last  ray 
of  reason  in  him,  even  if  they  liad  to  resort  to  violent 
punishments,  with  which  they  were  very  liberal.  In- 
stead of  curbing  his  spirit,  they  only  succeeded  in 
nurturing  an  undying  hatred  toward  themselves  and 
everything  connected  with  their  doctrine.  But  finding 
it  impossible  to  tear  himself  away  from  their  tyranny,  he 
finally  feigned  submission  and  openly  professed  adhe- 
rence to  his  sect,  while  he  secretly  visited  the  few  in- 
telligent people  that  the  town  could  muster  up  and 
borrowed  from  tliem  works  that  told  of  the  Haskala  or 
that  gave  some  useful  instruction.  Tliese  books  he 
would  take  with  him  to  uninhabited  houses,  or  to  the 
empty  synagogues,  and  pore  over  them  until  their  con- 
tents had  been  aj^jpropriated  by  the  precocious  boy.  His 
father  began  to  suspect  that  something  was  wrong  with 
his  son,  so  at  the  age  of  fourteen  he  married  him  to  a 
girl  who,  he  hoped,  would  take  him  back  on  the  road  of 
Khassidism.  But  finding  that,  contrary  to  his  expecta- 
tions, she  agreed  in  everything  with  her  child-husband, 


PROSE    WRITERS   FROM   1863-1881  163 

the  father  managed  to  divorce  lier  from  him.  Linetzki's 
patience  had  come  to  an  end  ;  he  threw  off  the  thin  mask 
lie  had  been  wearing,  and  began  to  make  open  attacks 
on  the  fanatics.  He  was  again  forced  into  marriage,  but 
with  the  same  result  as  before.  The  Khassidim  now 
wanted  to  get  rid  of  him  at  all  cost,  and  in  a  dark  night 
he  was  seized  by  them  and  thrown  into  the  river.  He 
was  saved  as  if  by  a  miracle.  After  that  he  was  care- 
fully guarded  by  the  police,  and  his  enemies  did  not 
dare  to  lay  hands  on  him  again.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  escaped  to  Odessa,  where  he  eked  out  his  existence 
by  teaching  Hebrew  to  children,  all  the  time  perfecting 
himself  in  worldly  sciences.  He  was  again  pursued  by 
the  Khassidim  of  the  city,  who  got  away  with  a  box  full 
of  his  manuscripts,  and  he  decided  to  leave  Russia,  to 
take  a  course  at  the  Rabbinical  Seminary  in  Breslau. 
What  was  his  surprise  when,  upon  arriving  at  the 
Austrian  frontier,  he  was  put  in  chains  by  the  Rabbi  of 
the  border  town,  who  threatened  to  present  a  forged 
despatch  from  Odessa  in  which  Linetzki  was  named  as 
a  dangerous  criminal.  He  again  pretended  to  re23ent, 
and  was  taken  back  to  his  father,  from  whom  the  forged 
despatch  had  emanated.  The  latter  compelled  his  son 
to  do  penance  at  the  house  of  the  Rabbi  of  Sadugora. 
After  that  he  was  divorced  from  his  second  wife,  as  it 
was  hoped  that  it  would  conciliate  him  to  free  him  from 
the  ties  which  had  been  hateful  to  him.  Linetzki,  how- 
ever, took  the  first  occasion  to  escape  again.  This  time 
he  went  to  Zhitomir,  where  at  the  age  of  twenty-three 
he  entered  the  third  class  of  the  Rabbinical  school,  as 
his  insufficient  knowledge  of  Russian  made  it  impossible 
for  him  to  attend  a  higher  class.  His  schoolmates  were 
about  twelve  years  old,  and  ridiculed  the  man  who  was 
sitting  on  the  same  bench  with  them.     He  left  the  in- 


164  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

stitution  and  went  to  Kiev,  where  in  1863  his  Jucleo- 
German  literary  career  began  by  his  volume  of  poetry 
discussed  in  a  previous  chapter.  His  next  work  was 
'The  Polish  Boy,'  which  has  gained  him  a  reputation 
as  a  classic  writer. 

Were  it  not  for  the  many  didactic  passages  which  the 
author  has  interwoven  in  the  second  part  of  his  story,  it 
might  easily  be  counted  among  the  most  perfect  pro- 
ductions of  Jewish  literature.  These  unfortunately  mar 
the  unity  of  the  whole.  Except  for  these,  the  book 
is  characterized  by  a  truly  Rabelaisian  humor.  Its 
greatest  merit  is  that  it  follows  so  closely  actual  expe- 
riences as  to  become  a  photographic  reproduction  of 
scenes.  There  is  hardly  any  plot  in  it,  and  it  is  doubt- 
ful if  Linetzki  would  have  succeeded  so  well  had  he 
attempted  a  piece  of  fiction,  for  in  his  many  later  works 
he  is  signally  defective  in  this  direction.  The  mere 
photographic  quality  of  the  story,  the  straightforward 
tone  that  pervades  it,  the  grotesque,  unbounded  humor 
which  one  meets  at  every  turn,  have  made  it  acceptable 
to  the  Khassidim  themselves,  who  grin  at  their  carica- 
tures but  must  confess  that  it  is  absolutely  true.  The 
copy  of  the  book  in  my  possession  was  sold  to  me  by 
a  pious  itinerant  Rabbi,  who  had  treasured  it  as  a 
precious  Avork. 

Linetzki  was  misled  by  his  early  success  to  regard 
his  unchecked  liumor  as  his  special  domain,  and  into 
cultivating  it  to  the  exclusion  of  the  finer  qualities 
of  style  and  sound  reason.  The  farther  he  proceeds,^ 
the  less  readable  his  works  become,  the  coarser  his  wit. 
Later,   in  the  eighties,  he   abandons  entirely  original 

1  Shorter  stories  have  appeared  in  Familienfrennd,  Vol.  I.  pp.  84-86 ; 
Hausfreund,  Vol.  I.  pp.  121-128  ;  JUd.  Vol'ksbib.  Vol.  I.  pp.  62-92  ; 
Vol.  II.  pp.  98-119  ;   Volksfreund,  pp.  11-16. 


PROSE   WRITERS   FROM   1863-1881  165 

work  to  devote  himself  to  the  transhition  of  German 
books.  We  have  from  his  pen  versions  of  Lessing's 
'Nathan  the  Wise'  and  Graetz's  'History  of  the  Jews.' 
The  first  is  rather  a  free  paraphrase  than  an  artistic 
transhition,  while  the  second  is  not  as  carefully  done  as 
one  might  have  expected.  But  once  has  he  returned  to 
the  style  of  his  '  The  Polish  Boy,'  in  his  '  The  JMaggot 
in  the  Horseradish,'  ^  but  that  is  but  a  reflection  of  his 
great  work.  Linetzki's  reputation  is  based  only  on  his 
first  novel,  which  will  ever  remain  a  classic. 

A  number  of  men  with  less  talent  than  those  hereto- 
fore mentioned  have  attempted  imitations  of  this  or 
that  popular  book.  Among  these  writers  the  attacks 
against  the  Khassidim  still  continue  at  a  time  when 
they  have  lost  their  power  to  sting,  when  the  best  au- 
thors have  abandoned  that  field  for  more  useful  works. 
However,  some  of  the  minor  productions  are  quite  cred- 
itable performances.  Such,  for  example,  is  the  well- 
told  story  in  verse  by  M.  Epstein,  entitled  'Lemech,  the 
Miracle-worker,' published  in  1880.  It  tells  of  Lemech 
the  tailor  who  leaves  his  wife,  and  turns  miracle-worker, 
which  he  finds  more  profitable  than  his  tailoring.  He 
settles  in  a  distant  town  and  persuades  one  of  the 
wealthy  men  to  give  him  his  daughter  in  marriage. 
The  miracle-worker  must  not  be  refused,  and  the 
daughter's  previous  engagement  with  Rosenblatt,  her 
lover,  is  broken  off.  Just  as  the  rings  are  to  be  ex- 
changed which  would  unite  Lemech  with  Rosenblatt's 
former  bride,  Rosenblatt  steps  up  with  Lemech's  wife, 
who  has  been  travelling  about  to  find  her  unfaithful 
husband,  whom  she  knows  only  as  a  tailor.  The  story 
is  developed  naturally,  and  the  reflections  interwoven 
in  it  are  well  worth  reading.  An  earlier  one-act  drama 
1  Jlid.  Volksbib.,  Vol.  I.  pp.  62  ff. 


166  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

by  the  same  author,  'The  Drubbing  of  the  Apostate 
at  Foolstown,'  relates  also  in  verse  of  the  punishment 
inflicted  by  the  Rabbi  on  the  Jew  who  had  been  found 
reading  one  of  Mendelssohn's  books.  Another,  'The 
Conversation  of  the  Khassidim,'  by  Maschil  Brettmann, 
gives  in  the  form  of  a  dialogue  the  best  exposition  of 
the  tenets  of  that  sect,  and  shows  how  the  various 
stories  of  miracle- workings  originate.  The  introduc- 
tion contains  a  short  historical  sketch  of  this  strange 
aberration  of  miracle-working,  written  in  an  excellent 
prose. 

While  these  writers  had  in  view  the  eradication  of 
some  error  and  the  dissemination  of  culture  by  their 
works,  the  ancient  story-telling  for  the  mere  love  of 
amusing  still  continues  to  attract  the  masses.  The 
better  class  of  authors  were  too  serious  to  condescend 
to  compete  with  the  badchen  in  their  efforts  to  enter- 
tain. The  lighter  story  was  consequently  left  to  an 
inferior  set  of  men  who  frequently  had  no  other  excuse 
for  writing  their  stories  than  the  hope  of  earning  a  few 
roubles  by  them.  Of  such  a  character  are  'Doctor 
Kugelmann,'  '  Wigderl  the  Son  of  Wigderl.'  There  is, 
however,  a  wide  difference  in  these  from  similar  story- 
books of  the  previous  generation.  The  older  chap- 
books  were  based  mainly  on  the  romantic  material  of 
tlie  West,  generally  reflecting  nothing  of  the  Jewish 
life  in  them.  The  newer  stories  of  the  Southwest  of 
Russia  have  this  in  common  with  the  works  of  the  clas- 
sical writers,  that  they  reproduce  scenes  of  contempora- 
neous Jewish  life.  At  times  these  tales  are  well  told 
and  well  worth  reading.  Such  is  the  amusing  quid  pro 
quo  in  'A  Jew,  tlien  not  a  Jew,  tlien  a  Good  Jew  [_Le.  a 
Khassid],  and  Again  a  Jew,'  by  S.  Hochbaum.  Still 
more  interesting  is  the  charming  comedy  'The  Savings 


PROSE    WRITERS   FROM    1863-1881  167 

of  the  Women'  by  Ludwig  Levinsohn.^  Its  i^lot  is  as 
follows :  Jekel,  a  Khassid,  returns  late  at  night  to  his 
house,  where  he  is  awaited  by  his  wife  Selde.  To 
silence  her  torrent  of  invectives  he  invents  a  story  that 
the  decree  of  Rabbi  Gershon,  by  which  monogamy  had 
been  introduced  among  the  Jews  of  Europe  in  the 
eleventh  century,  was  about  to  be  dissolved  in  order 
that  by  marrying  several  wives  the  Jews  of  the  town 
might  get  new  dowries  with  which  to  pay  the  arrears 
in  their  taxes.  His  wife  spreads  this  news  throughout 
the  community,  to  the  great  terror  of  the  women.  They 
resolve  to  avert  the  calamity  by  offering  up  their  sav- 
ings stored  away  in  stockings  and  bundles.  These  are 
brought  to  the  assembled  brotherhood  of  the  Khassidim, 
who,  of  course,  use  the  money  for  a  jollification.  There 
are  many  amusing  incidents  in  the  play.  The  servant 
of  Selde  is  dreaming  of  the  time  when  she  shall  be 
married  to  Jekel  and  when  she  will  lord  it  over  her 
former  mistress ;  the  scene  in  the  women's  galleries 
when  the  news  of  the  impending  misfortune  is  reported 
is  very  humorous,  and  the  attempt  of  the  Rabbi's  wife 
to  learn  the  truth  of  tlie  fact  from  her  husband  who  had 
not  been  initiated  in  the  story  by  Jekel  is  quite  dra- 
matic. It  is  one  of  the  best,  if  not  the  best,  comedy 
written  in  Judeo-German. 

A  number  of  witty  stories  in  a  semi-dramatic  form 
have  been  produced  by  Ulrich  Kalmus;  the  most  of 
these  are  disfigured  by  coarse  jokes,  but  a  few  of  them 
it  would  well  pay  to  rearrange  for  scenic  representa- 
tion. One  of  his  best  is  a  version  of  the  Talmudical 
legend  of  the  devil  and  the  bad  wife ;  it  is  almost  pre- 

1  His  name  does  not  appear  on  any  of  the  editions  of  his  comedy. 
Early  in  the  seventies  he  had  tiu'ned  his  work  over  to  "Wollmann  for 
publication ;  the  latter  surreptitiously  published  it  over  his  own  initials. 


1(38  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

cisely  the  same  that  Robert  Browning  has  versified  in 

his  '  Doctor /    A  good  story,  resembling  Linetzki's 

'The  Polish  Boy,'  but  with  much  less  bitterness  and 
humor,  is  given  in  '  Jekele  Kundas,'  by  one  who  signs 
himself  by  the  pseudonym  Abasch.  Translations  from 
foreign  tongues  are  not  uncommon  in  this  period. 
Some  Russian  stories  are  rendered  into  Judeo-German ; 
also  a  few  German  dramas,  such  as  Lessing's  'The 
Jews';  from  the  English  we  have  Walter  Scott's 
'Ivanhoe'  and  Longfellow's  'Judas  Maccabceus';  and 
from  the  French  we  get  for  that  time  Masse's  '  The 
Story  of  a  Piece  of  Bread,'  and  from  the  Hebrew  one 
of  Luzzato's  dramas.  To  other  useful  works  of  a  scien- 
tific character  we  shall  return  later. 

There  is  a  marked  difference  in  the  development  of 
Judeo-German  literature  in  the  Khassidic  Southwest 
and  the  Misnagdic  North.  While  the  first  gave  prom- 
ise of  a  natural  growth  and  a  better  future,  the  second 
showed  early  the  seeds  of  decay.  The  nearness  to 
Germany  explains  the  deterioration  of  the  literary 
Judeo-German  of  Lithuania,  but  the  cause  for  the 
weaker  activity  in  the  literature  itself  is  to  be  sought 
in  the  whole  mental  attitude  of  the  Misnagdim,  who  as 
strict  ritualists  did  not  allow  the  promptings  of  the 
heart  to  interfere  with  their  blind  adherence  to  the 
Law.  The  very  origin  of  Khassidism  was  due  to  a 
protest  against  that  cold  formalism  which  excluded 
everything  imaginative.  LTnfortunately  this  protest 
opened  the  wa}^  to  the  Cabbala  and  admitted  the  wild- 
est excesses  of  mysticism  in  the  affairs  of  everyday 
life,  and  this  soon  gave  rise  to  that  form  of  the  new 
sect  Avith  which  we  meet  so  frequently  in  the  descrip- 
tions of  the  early  authors  of  the  Southwest.  These, 
liowever,  in  tearing  themselves  away  from  their  early 


PROSE    WRITERS   FROM    18G3-1881  169 

associations  abandoned  only  their  degraded  religious 
faith,  not  the  love  for  the  fanciful  which,  if  properly 
directed  by  a  controlling  reason,  would  lead  to  an  artis- 
tic career.  The  Misnagdim,  on  the  contrary,  in  break- 
ing with  their  traditions  were  predisposed  to  become 
rationalists  Avith  whom  utilitarian  motives  prevailed 
over  the  finer  sentiments.  Their  advocates  of  the 
Reform,  who  took  to  writing  in  the  vernacular  of  the 
people,  set  about  from  the  very  start  to  create  a  useful, 
rather  than  an  artistic,  literature,  to  give  positive  in- 
struction rather  than  to  amuse.  The  outward  form  of 
language  and  style  was  immaterial  to  them  ;  the  infor- 
mation the  story  carried  was  their  only  excuse  for  writ- 
ing it.  Foremost  of  that  class  of  writers  was  Aisik 
Meier  Dick,i  who  in  the  introduction  to  one  of  his 
stories  2  speaks  as  follows  of  his  purpose  in  publishing 
them  : 

''  Our  women  have  no  ear  and  no  feeling  for  pure 
ethical  instruction.  The}^  want  to  hear  only  of  mira- 
cles and  wonderful  deeds  whether  invented  or  true ; 
they  find  delight  in  the  story  of  Joseph  de  la  Keyna,  or 
of  Elijah's  appearance  in  the  form  of  an  old  man  to  be 
the  tenth  in  the  Minyan  on  the  eve  of  the  Atonement 
day ;  they  are  even  satisfied  with  the  story  of  Bevys  of 
Hamptoun  and  the  Greyhound,  with  the  Horse  Drend- 
sel  and  the  Sword  Familie,  and  with  the  beautiful  Prin- 
cess Deresna,  or  merely  with  a  story  of  a  Bride  and 
Bridegroom. 

"  This  sad  fact,  dear  readers,  I  took  deep  to  heart, 
and  I  resolved  to  make  use  of  this  very  weakness  for 
interesting  stories  for  their  own  good  b}'  composing 

1  Short  mention  in  Sseefer  Sikoron,  p.  26 ;  necrology  in  Ilaus- 
freund,  Vol.  III.  p.  312. 

-  Der  Schmim-mdhlzeit,  p.  10. 


170  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

books  of  an  entertaining  nature,  which  would  at  the 
same  time  carry  moral  lessons.  Thanks  to  God  I  have 
succeeded  in  my  undertaking,  for  my  stories  are  being 
read  diligently,  and  they  are  productive  of  good.  Sev- 
eral hundred  stories  of  all  kinds  have  been  so  far  issued 
by  me,  each  having  a  different  purpose.  Even  every 
witty  tale  and  mere  witticism  teaches  something  useful. 
I  am  sure  a  great  number  of  my  readers  do  not  suspect 
my  good  intentions,  and  read  my  stories,  just  as  they 
read  Bovo,  for  pastime  only,  and  will  accuse  me,  the 
writer  of  the  same,  as  being  a  mere  babbler  who  dis- 
tracts the  attention  from  serious  studies,  and  as  writing 
them  for  the  money  that  there  is  in  them.  I  know  all 
that  full  well,  and  yet  I  keep  on  doing  my  duty,  for 
even  greater  men  than  I  have  been  treated  in  no  better 
way  by  our  nation ;  our  prophets  have  been  cursed  by 
us,  and  beaten,  and  pulled  by  the  hair,  and  spit  upon, 
and  some  have  even  been  killed.  I  am  proud  to  be 
able  to  say  that  I  am  not  making  my  living  from  my 
writings,  and  I  should  have  been  repaid  tenfold  better 
if  I  had  passed  my  time  in  some  more  profitable  work. 
But  I  do  it  only  out  of  love  for  my  nation,  of  whom  the 
most  do  not  know  how  far  they  are  removed  from  man- 
kind at  large,  and  what  a  miserable  position  we  occupy 
in  these  enlightened  days  among  the  civilized  nations. 
.  .  .  We  must,  whether  we  wish  or  not,  enter  into 
much  closer  relations  with  the  outside  world  than  our 
parents  did.  We  must,  therefore,  be  better  acquainted 
with  the  world,  that  we  may  be  tolerated  by  our  fel- 
low-men (the  Gentiles),  who  surpass  us  in  civiliza- 
tion. .  .  .  Consequent!}',  I  regard  it  as  a  great  favor 
to  speak  to  you  by  means  of  my  books,  and  as  a  still 
greater  favor  that  the  famous  firm  of  Komm  is  willing 
to  print  them,  for  the  publication  of  prayers  is  more 


PROSE    WRITERS  FROM   1863-1881  171 

profitable  than  that  of  story-books  that  are  only  read 
in  circulating  libraries  or  merely  borrowed  from  a 
friend." 

This  passage  fully  characterizes  Dick's  activity,  which 
lasted  from  the  fifties  until  his  death,  in  1893.  He  was 
not  a  man  of  deep  learning,  and  did  not  produce  any 
masterpieces,  such  as  the  other  writers  of  the  time  were 
printing  in  the  South.  But  he  atoned  for  this  by  his 
great  earnestness  and  good  common  sense,  which  led 
him  to  choose  the  best  subjects  for  his  stories,  such  as 
would  be  of  the  most  immediate  good  for  his  humble 
readers.  He  translated  or  imitated  the  leading  popular 
books  of  his  time,  not  limiting  himself  to  such  as  were 
taken  out  of  Jewish  life,  but  independently  of  their 
religious  tenor.  Among  his  translations  we  find  the 
works  of  Bernstein,  Campe,  Beecher-Stowe;  there  are 
imitations  of  Danish,  French,  Polish,  and  Russian 
books ;  and  many  subjects,  not  easily  traceable  now, 
have  been  suggested  to  him  by  other  literatures.  He 
has  also  written  many  stories  taken  from  the  life  of 
the  Lithuanian  Jews.  He  ascribes  great  importance  to 
biographies,  devoting  several  introductions  to  impress 
the  necessity  of  reading  these.  But  he  treats  just  as 
frequently  geographical  and  historical  themes ;  among 
the  latter  he  has  even  dared  to  give  an  impartial  dis- 
cussion of  the  Reformation. 

At  first  Dick's  books  were  small  16mos  of  rarely  more 
than  forty-eight  pages,  and  up  to  the  year  1871  the 
abbreviation  AMD,  for  his  name,  occurs  but  twice. 
After  that  all  his  works  bear  the  initials,  or  even  the 
name  in  full.  The  small  size  of  the  books  is  due  to 
his  desire  to  make  them  accessible  to  the  poorest  of  his 
race  ;  this  necessitated  a  retrenchmert  of  nearly  all  the 
works  which  he  translated.     Only  in  the  eighties,  when 


172  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

reading"  had  become  universal  and  more  expensive  works 
could  be  published,  did  he  issue  octavos  of  considerable 
thickness,  some  of  them  being  four-volumed  books. 
Dick  had  no  talent  as  a  writer,  and  his  style  is  but  a 
weak  reflectioji  of  the  originals  which  he  translated. 
The  language  he  uses  is  a  frightful  mixture  of  Judeo- 
German  with  German,  the  latter  frequently  predomi- 
nating over  the  first,  so  that  he  is  often  obliged  to 
give  in  parentheses  the  explanation  of  unusual  words. 
And  so  it  happened  that,  although  his  purpose  had 
been  a  good  one,  and  liis  influence  had  at  first  been 
salutary  on  a  very  large  circle  of  readers,  he  has  set  a 
bad  example  to  a  large  host  of  scribblers  who  have 
taken  all  imaginable  liberties  with  the  language  and 
the  subjects  they  treated  of,  and  have  produced  a  flood 
of  bastard  literature  under  which  the  many  better  pro- 
ductions are  entirely  drowned.  He  has  destroyed  all 
feeling  for  a  proper  diction,  and  has  cultivated  only  a 
passion  for  reading,  so  that  it  was  necessary  for  his  fol- 
lowers to  write  '  ein  hochst  interessanter  Roman '  on  the 
title-page,  and  parade  the  book  with  crumbs  of  German 
words  unintelligible  to  the  public,  in  order  to  find  a 
ready  sale. 

One  of  the  first  to  write  in  the  style  of  Dick  was 
M.  R.  Schaikewitsch,^  who  began  his  prolific  career  in 
187G,  since  which  time  he  has  brought  out  more  than 
one  hundred  books,  the  most  of  which  are  of  bulky  pro- 
portions. At  first  he  was  satisfied  to  tell  stories  from 
the  life  of  his  immediate  surroundings,  but  soon  he 

1  Cf.  S.  Rabinowitscli,  Schomer's  Mischj^et,  and  Seiffert's  Das  Tcl- 
lerl  vun  'm  Ilimmel  (Ein  Entwer  auf  31.  SchaikewUsch''s  Taines),  in 
Die  neue  Welt,  No.  5,  pp.  11-21.  To  bis  detractors  Schaikewitscli 
answered  in  his  pamphlet  Jehi  Or.  Other  reviews  in  Jihi.  Volksblatt, 
Vol.  VIII.  (Beilage),  pp.  335-3G1,  •45-5-4G7,  707-714,  738-743,  703-773. 


V. 

PROSE  WRITERS   FROM  1863-1881  173 

aspired  to  higher  things,  and  began  to  drag  in  by  the 
hair  scenes  and  situations  of  which  he  did  not  have  the 
slightest  conception.  As  long  as  he  wrote  of  what  he 
had  himself  seen  he  produced  books  that,  without  doing 
any  particular  good,  were  to  a  certain  extent  harmless. 
He  certainly  has  a  better  talent  for  telling  a  story  than 
Dick  ;  his  language  is  also  nearer  the  spoken  vernacu- 
lar, and  in  the  beginning  he  avoided  Germanisms.  He 
might,  therefore,  have  developed  into  one  of  the  best 
Jargonists,  had  he  chosen  to  study,  and  had  he  worked 
less  rapidly.  In  an  adaptation  of  Gogol's  'The  In- 
spector,' he  has  shown  what  he  might  have  been  had 
he  had  any  earnest  purpose  in  life.  But  he  lacks  en- 
tirely Dick's  straightforwardness,  and  writes  only  to 
make  money.  The  common  people  devoured  his  stories 
with  the  same  zeal  that  formerly  they  showed  towards 
the  productions  of  Dick,  and  unwittingly  they  have  im- 
bibed a  poison  which  the  later  authors  of  a  nobler  nature, 
who  have  the  interests  of  the  people  at  heart,  are  trying 
to  eradicate.  These  try  to  point  out  directly  by  accu- 
sation, and  indirectly  by  writing  better  novels,  how 
dangerous  and  immoral  Schaikewitsch  is  in  his  books. 
They  go  too  far  in  their  anxiety  to  bias  the  mind  of 
the  masses  against  him  when  they  speak  of  his  prone- 
ness  to  immoral  scenes,  for  in  that  he  is  not  worse  than 
many  of  the  better  class  of  authors.  The  deleterious 
effect  is  produced  not  by  these,  but  by  his  introducing 
a  Avorld  to  them  that  does  not  exist  in  reality,  that 
gives  them  a  most  perverted  idea  of  life,  without  teach- 
ing them  any  facts  worth  knowing.  In  his  many  his- 
torical novels,  for  example,  he  uses  good  sources  for 
the  fundamental  facts  on  which  he  bases  his  tale,  but 
the  men  and  women  are  such  as  could  never  have  ex- 
isted at  the  period  described  and  that  do  not  exist  now : 


174  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

they  are  monstrosities  of  his  imagination  as  they  appear 
to  him  in  his  very  narrow  sphere  of  experiences.  His 
treatment  of  these  historical  themes  is  not  unlike  the 
one  given  to  the  stories  of  Alexander  and  other  ancient 
works  during  the  Middle  Ages.  The  resemblance  is 
still  further  increased  by  his  extravagant,  romantic 
conception  of  love,  on  which  he  dwells  with  special 
pleasure,  to  the  great  joy  of  his  feminine  public. 

A  much  better  attempt  at  transferring  the  method 
of  Dick  to  dramatic  productions  had  been  made  as 
early  as  1867  and  the  following  year  by  J.  B.  Falko- 
witsch.  His  two  dramas  '  Chaimel  the  Rich '  and 
'  Rochele  the  Singer '  were  at  one  time  very  popular 
in  the  South.  The  second  is  an  adaptation  of  some 
foreign  work  ;  the  first  is  probably  original.  They  are 
written  in  a  good  vernacular,  but  are  devoid  of  interest, 
as  the  didactic  element  outweighs  the  plot,  and  the  lat- 
ter is  very  loosely  developed.  Schaikewitsch  has  had 
many  imitators,  all  of  whom  try  to  rival  him  in  quantity. 
Among  these  are  to  be  counted  Blaustein,  Beckermann, 
Seiffert,  Budson,  Buchbinder  ;  the  latter,  a  writer  with- 
out talent,  has  at  least  given  some  useful  translations, 
and  has  also  written  some  articles  on  the  popular  belief 
of  the  Jews.  Outside  of  Dick,  the  Northwest  has  pro- 
duced two  important  writers,  one  in  the  beginning,  the 
other  at  the  end,  of  the  period.  The  first  is  Zweifel, 
whom  we  already  know  from  his  poetical  works  ;  the 
other  is  Schatzkes,  the  author  of  '  The  Jewish  Ante- 
Passover.'  Zweifel  has  produced  several  small  works 
of  aphorisms  which  have  been  very  popular  and  have 
been  frequently  reprinted.  Their  fine  moral  tone,  the 
purity  of  the  language  used  in  them,  the  simple  style 
in  which  they  are  composed,  place  them  among  the  best 
books  of  Judeo-German  literature.     He  has  also  written 


PROSE    WRITERS   FROM    1863-1881  175 

a  story,  'The  Happy  Reader  of  the  Ilaphtora,'  Avhich  is 
a  discussion  on  piety  and  honesty  chid  in  the  form  of  a 
tale.  The  other,  M.  A.  Schatzkes,  has  written  but  one 
book,  which  is  not  properly  called  a  story,  but  an  invalu- 
able cyclojiedia  of  Jewish  customs,  particularly  such  as 
directly  or  indirectly  refer  to  the  Passover,  strung  to- 
gether in  chronological  order  as  a  consecutive  action. 
With  the  exception  of  Linetzki's  '  The  Polish  Boy,' 
there  has  been  written  no  one  work  that  treats  so  com- 
prehensively of  the  beliefs  and  habits  of  the  Jews  in 
Russia.  Schatzkes  is  an  indifferent  stoiy-teller,  and 
his  work  is  full  of  repetitions,  but,  nevertheless,  '  The 
Jewish  Ante-Passover '  must  be  counted  among  the 
classics  of  the  period  under  discussion.  It  is  a  sad 
picture  that  is  portrayed  in  it ;  in  a  straightforward 
manner,  without  exaggeration,  he  tells  of  conditions 
that  one  would  hardly  believe  possible  as  existing  at 
the  end  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

Neither  of  tliese  men  has  told  stories  in  the  manner 
of  the  Southern  writers,  for  neither  of  them  cared  as 
much  for  the  form  as  for  the  contents  in  which  they 
told  them.  They  differ  from  Dick  in  that  they  at  least 
did  not  use  a  corrupt  language  in  their  works.  All  the 
other  writers  have  no  excuse  for  writing  at  all.  This 
inferior  literature  had  its  rise  in  the  seventies,  when 
the  better  forces  had  been  alienated  from  the  people 
and  had  received  instruction  in  Russian  schools.  The 
men  who  had  been  writing  for  the  Haskala,  finding 
their  efforts  crowned  with  success,  had  ceased  to  write  ; 
many  of  the  older  men  had  passed  away.  The  newer 
generation  had  no  reason  to  proceed  in  the  path  of  the 
older  men.  There  were  only  the  lower  classes  left,  who 
had  had  no  advantages  in  the  foreign  education,  and 
who  were   craving  for  reading  matter  of  whatsoever 


176  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

kind.  It  was  to  these  alone  that  the  newer  writers 
spoke,  and  they  were  not  animated  by  any  high  motives 
in  addressing  them.  They  were  left  to  themselves  to  do 
as  they  pleased,  for  the  seventies  are  characterized  by 
an  absence  of  all  criticism.  No  one  cared  what  they 
did  or  how  they  did  it.  All  felt  and  hoped  that  the 
last  hour  for  the  Jargon  had  come,  and  it  was  immaterial 
to  them  what  was  produced  in  Judeo-German  literature 
before  its  final  decay.  But  Abramowitsch's  prophecy 
in  'The  Dobbin'  was  fulfilled,  —  the  assimilation  that 
had  been  going  on  peacefully  had  not  produced  the 
desired  result,  and  one  morning  those  who  had  had 
time  to  forget  the  language  their  mothers  had  been 
talking  to  them  awoke  to  the  bitter  consciousness  that 
they  were  despised  Jews,  on  the  same  level  with  the 
most  lowly  of  their  race.  Among  these  arose  a  new 
school  of  writers  who  introduced  the  methods  of  the 
literary  languages  into  their  native  dialect.  The  next 
period,  the  present,  is  signalized  by  a  spirit  of  sound 
criticism. 


XII.     PROSE   WRITERS   SINCE   1881: 
SPEKTOR 

In  the  short  period  of  two  years  Jiideo-German  lit- 
erature lost  four  of  its  most  prominent  Avriters  :  in  1891 
there  passed  away  the  veteran  poet,  Michel  Gordon  ;  the 
next  year  J.  L.  Gordon  followed  him  ;  and  soon  after 
death  gathered  in  Dick  and  Zederbaura.  Without  hav- 
ing himself  produced  any  works  of  a  permanent  value, 
without  having  in  anj-  way  accelerated  or  retarded  the 
course  of  its  literature,  Zederbaum  is  peculiarly  identi- 
fied with  its  development  and  has  on  two  important 
occasions  in  the  history  of  the  Jews  of  Russia  served  as 
a  crystallizing  body  for  the  literary  forces  in  the  ver- 
nacular. He  was  born  in  1816,  and  in  his  youth  enjoyed 
the  intimate  friendship  of  Ettinger  and  Aksenfeld.  He 
had  fostered  the  budding  talents  of  Abramowitsch  and 
Linetzki  at  a  time  when  the  efforts  of  the  first  disciples 
of  the  Haskala  were  about  to  be  crowned  by  a  success 
they  had  hardly  dreamed  would  be  realized  so  soon. 
And  he  lived  to  see  all  his  hopes  crushed  in  the  occur- 
rences of  1881,  when  his  race  was  tln-eatened  to  be  cast 
back  into  darkness  more  dense  than  at  his  birth.  Dur- 
ing a  lifetime  thus  rich  in  momentous  experiences,  he 
has  in  his  person  reflected  the  succession  of  events  as  far 
as  they  affected  his  race.  In  1861  he  founded  a  Hebrew 
periodical,  the  Hameliz^  as  a  mouthpiece  of  the  more 
advanced  ideas  of  culture  for  that  restricted  class  of  the 
learned  and  educated  who  still  clung  to  the  sacred  lan- 
guage as  the  only  medium  for  the  advancement  of 
worldly  knowledge.      But  he  felt  that  the  time  had 

177 


178  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

come  when  the  masses  who,  on  the  one  side,  could  not 
be  reached  by  that  ancient  tongue,  and  who,  on  the 
other,  had  not  yet  had  an  opportunity  of  a  Russian 
instruction,  must  be  approached  directly  in  their  own 
mother-tongue.  So,  two  years  later,  he  started  the 
Judeo-German  supplement  to  his  Hebrew  weekl}',  the 
Kol-meivasser\  which  was  for  ten  years  the  rallying 
ground  of  all  who  could  wield  a  Judeo-German  pen. 
Then  the  Government  interfered  in  the  publication, 
and  for  another  decade  there  was  no  periodical  pub- 
lished in  Russia  in  that  language.  Nor  was  that  to 
be  regretted,  for  its  usefulness  had  become  very  small. 
The  Russian  schools  were  crowded  with  Jewish  young 
men  and  women,  and  there  was  not  a  science  or  an  art 
to  which  the  Jews  had  not  given  a  large  contingent, 
and  this  vanguard  of  the  new  culture,  even  if  it  had 
not  broken  with  the  traditions  of  the  past,  could  be 
reached  only  by  means  of  the  Russian  language.  To 
fall  in  line  with  these  changed  conditions,  Zederbaum 
founded  two  Russian  periodicals  for  the  discussion  of 
Jewish  affairs. 

After  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  he  succeeded  in  October 
of  1881.  in  getting  the  Government's  permission  to  issue 
a  Judeo-German  weekly,  the  Jildisehes  Volksblatt.  He 
felt  that  his  duty  was  once  more  with  the  masses,  that 
they  needed  the  advice  of  better-informed  men  in  the 
impending  danger,  and  at  the  advanced  age  of  sixty-five 
he  once  more  took  upon  his  shoulders  a  publication  in 
which  he  had  no  supporters.  In  the  first  two  years  the 
weekly  was  bare  of  literary  productions.  Except  for 
an  occasional  poem  by  J.  L.  Gordon,  and  here  and  there 
a  feuilleton,  the  rest  was  occupied  b}^  political  news,  for 
which  Zederbaum  had  to  supply  the  leaders.  Abramo- 
witsch  and  Linctzki  had  ceased  writing,  and  no  new 


PROSE   WRITERS   SINCE    1881  170 

generation  had  had  time  to  develop  literary  talents. 
The  tone  of  the  new  novel,  to  do  any  positive  good,  had 
to  be  different  from  those  current  before.  Dick  had 
been  writing  for  the  people  with  little  regard  to  the 
people's  familiarity  with  the  scenes  described,  while 
Abramowitsch  wrote  of  the  people  but  not  necessarily 
to  the  level  of  an  humble  audience.  Now  the  author 
had  to  write  both  of  and  for  the  people,  he  had  to  be  in 
touch  with  them  not  as  a  critic  or  moralizer,  but  as  a 
sympathetic  friend.  In  1883,  two  such  men  made  their 
debut  in  the  Judisches  Volkshlatt:  Mordechai  Spektor, 
the  calm  observer  of  the  life  in  the  lower  strata  of  society, 
and  Solomon  Rabinowitscli,  the  impulsive  painter  of 
scenes  from  the  middle  classes.  Of  these,  the  first 
came  nearest  to  what  Zederbaum  regarded  as  requisite 
for  a  writer  in  those  troublous  times,  and  he  called 
Spektor  to  St.  Petersburg  to  take  charge  of  the  literary 
part  of  his  weekly. 

In  the  short  time  of  his  connection  with  the  Volks- 
hlatt, and  later  as  editor  of  several  periodicals  of  his 
own,  Spektor  ^  has  developed  a  great  activity.  He  has 
written  a  large  number  of  short  sketches  and  more 
extended  novels,^  and  his  talent  is  still  in  the  ascendant. 

1  Cf.  Sseefer  Sikoron,  p.  80.  Reviews  of  his  works  in  Voschod, 
Vol.  VII.  No.  12,  pp.  18-21  ;  Vol.  IX.  No.  7,  pp.  30-37. 

2  lu  addition  to  his  separate  works  the  following  periodicals  contain 
Spektor's  stories :  J'ud.  Volkshlatt,  Vol.  III.  and  following  (very 
many)  ;  Hausfrennd,  Vol.  I.  pp.  109-121,  Supplement;  Vol.  II.  pp. 
1-5,  116-143  ;  Vol.  III.  pp.  9-28,  38-101,  149-172,  277-294  ;  Vol.  IV. 
pp.  81-95,  107-131  ;  Vol.  V.  pp.  123-136  ;  Familienfreund,  Vol.  II. 
pp.  66-91  ;  Spektor's  Familienkalender,  Vol.  II.  pp.  51-54  ;  Vol.  III. 
pp.  81-85;  Vol.  IV.  pp.  63-93;  Vol.  V.  pp.  45-51,  52-58  ;  Widerkol, 
pp.  19  ff.;  Jonteicblattlech,  I.  Series,  No.  3.  4,  9;  Kleiner  Wecker,  pp. 
4.3^8  ;  Literatur  tin''  Leben,  pp.  67-89.  Reviews  by  him,  under  the 
pseudonym  Ernes,  in  Hausfreund,  Vol.  I.  pp.  143-160  ;  Vol.  II.  pp. 
170-176  ;  Vol.  III.  pp.  251-260. 


180  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

All  of  his  productions  are  characterized  by  the  same 
melancholy  dignity  and  even  tenor.  He  is  never  in  a 
hurry  with  his  narration,  and  his  characters  are  sketched 
with  a  firm  hand  and  clearly  outlined  against  the  back- 
ground of  the  story.  He  loves  his  subjects  with  a  calm, 
dispassionate  love,  and  he  loves  the  meanest  of  his  crea- 
tions no  less  than  his  heroes.  He  likes  to  dwell  with 
them  and  to  inspect  them  from  every  coign  of  vantage. 
He  fondly  tells  of  their  good  qualities  and  suffers  with 
them  for  their  natural  defects.  And  yet,  though  he 
loves  them,  he  does  not  place  a  halo  around  them,  he 
does  not  idealize  them.  The  situations  are  developed 
in  his  stories  naturally,  independently  of  what  he  would 
like  them  to  be. 

Although  he  now  and  then  describes  the  life  of  the 
middle  classes,  he  more  often  treats  incidents  from  the 
life  of  the  artisans  in  the  small  towns,  who  have  not 
been  affected  by  the  modern  culture.  Himself  having 
had  few  advantages  in  life,  he  has  been  able  to  keep  in 
closer  touch  with  the  men  and  women  about  whom  and 
for  whom  he  writes.  He  understands  them  thoroughly, 
and  they  like  to  listen  to  him.  He  does  not  sermonize 
to  them,  he  does  not  attack  them  or  their  enemies  ;  he 
merely  speaks  to  them  as  their  friend.  The  Kliassid  and 
the  Anti-Khassid,  the  laborer  and  the  man  of  culture, 
Jew  and  Non-Jew,  can  read  him  with  equal  pleasure. 
The  student  of  manners  finds  in  his  faithful  pictures  as 
rich  a  store  of  information  as  in  Schatzkes'  or  Linetzki's 
works,  and  he  has  the  conviction  that  nothing  is  dis- 
torted or  thrown  out  of  its  proper  proportion,  as  the 
others  sometimes  have  to  do  in  order  to  strengthen  their 
arguments.  Spektor  is  a  young  man,  having  been  born 
in  1859,  and  was  a  witness  of  the  occurrences  in  the 
seventies  and  the  eighties  from  wliich  he  draws  the 


PROSE    WRITERS    SINCE    1881  181 

subjects  for  liis  stories.  His  style  is  simple,  without 
any  attempts  at  adornment,  and  his  language,  based  on 
his  native  dialect  of  Uman  in  the  Government  of  Kiev, 
is  chaste  and  pure. 

One  of  the  most  puzzling  problems  to  the  Judeo- 
German  writers  of  modern  times  has  been  the  treat- 
ment of  love  in  the  Jewish  novel.  They  all  agree  that 
they  have  to  follow  Western  models  in  that  class  of 
literature,  and  they  are  all  equally  sure  that  that  passion 
does  not  exist  among  their  people  in  any  of  the  phases 
with  which  one  meets  elsewhere.  The  young  woman's 
education  in  a  Jewish  home  is  such  as  to  exclude  a  blind 
self-abandonment,  with  the  consequent  tragic  results. 
Her  desire  to  form  family  ties  is  greater  than  the 
natural  promptings  of  her  heart  ;  her  infatuation  of 
the  moment  is  easily  smothered  by  a  cool  calculation  of 
her  future  welfare,  by  the  consideration  of  her  duties 
towards  her  future  husband  and  children.  Unless  the 
author  uses  the  greatest  caution  in  this  matter,  he  is 
liable  to  fall  into  exaggerations  and  sentimentalities 
which  would  soon  land  him  among  the  writers  of  the 
type  of  Schaikewitsch.  But  Spektor,  not  departing 
even  in  this  from  his  usual  candor,  intermingles  the 
most  romantic  passages  with  the  cold  facts  of  stern 
reality.  His  unrequited  lovers  do  not  commit  suicide, 
or  pine  their  lives  away ;  they  get  over  their  infatuations 
in  a  manner  prescribed  by  their  religious  convictions, 
get  married  to  others,  and  rear  happy  families.  Here 
is  an  example  : 

In  '  The  Fashionable  Shoemaker '  we  are  introduced 
to  the  sphere  of  a  well-to-do  shoemaker  with  no  preten- 
sions to  any  kind  of  culture.  Having  gotten  on  suc- 
cessfully in  life,  he  is  anxious  to  marry  his  daughter 
Breindele   to   Schlome,    the    dandyish   son   of   Sender 


182  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

Liebsrsohn,  the  rich  man  of  the  town.  The  latter 
looks  favorably  on  the  alliance  in  spite  of  the  general 
disinclination  of  business  men  to  enter  into  family 
ties  with  artisans,  as  he  is  desirous  of  feathering  his 
son's  nest  before  an  impending  bankruptcy  sweeps 
away  his  fortune.  Lipsche,  Breindele's  mother,  in 
vain  tries  to  dissuade  her  husband  from  the  step, 
while  Hirschel,  the  chief  a]3prentice  in  the  shop,  is 
earnestly  pleading  with  Breindele  to  marry  him,  for  he 
loves  her  dearly.  But  she  is  too  much  attracted  by  the 
wealth  of  Schlome  and  her  future  social  position  to 
listen  to  her  father's  simple-hearted,  honest  workman. 
The  marriage  is  consummated,  and  soon  a  complete 
change  takes  place  in  the  affairs  of  all  concerned. 
Liebersolm  loses  his  possessions.  Hirschel,  bearing  in 
his  heart  his  unrequited  love,  leaves  his  master  and 
establishes  a  shop  of  his  own.  He  works  with  great 
energy  to  forget  his  sorrow,  and  becomes  a  dangerous 
competitor  of  Susje,  the  shoemaker,  whose  hard-earned 
savings  are  slowly  disappearing  under  the  double  obli- 
gation to  support  his  family  and  that  of  his  daughter 
Breindele.  In  vain  some  of  the  'modern'  girls  of  the 
town  dress  themselves  in  their  best  gowns  and  don 
fine  silk  stockings  when  Hirschel  comes  to  take  a 
measure  of  their  feet  for  new  pairs  of  shoes  for  them. 
Their  machinations  have  no  effect  on  Hirschel,  who 
lives  quietly  for  himself.  But  one  day  he  notices 
Leotschke,  Breindele's  younger  sister,  in  the  street, 
and  he  is  struck  by  her  resemblance  to  his  former 
love.  When  he  left  his  master  she  was  but  a  child, 
and  now  she  is  a  pretty  maiden.  He  cultivates  her 
acquaintance,  falls  in  love  with  her  and  is  loved  by 
her.  There  are  no  love  scenes  in  the  story.  Hirschel 
goes  to  Leotschke's  mother  and  gets  her  willing  con- 


PROSE    WRITERS   SINCE    1881  183 

sent  to  the  union.  After  the  marriage  he  helps  sup- 
port Breindele  and  her  family,  for  her  husband,  Schlome, 
who  has  learned  no  trade,  finds  it  hard  to  make  a 
living. 

One  of  his  best  sketches  is  the  one  entitled  '  Two 
Companions.'  It  is  a  gem  among  the  many  good 
things  he  has  written,  —  perfect  in  form  and  rounded 
off  as  few  of  his  sketches  are.  It  tells  of  two  girls, 
Rosele  and  Perele,  who  have  grown  up  together  as  dear 
friends.  When  they  reach  the  age  of  sixteen  Rosele 
notices  that  the  young  students  of  the  gymnasium  pay 
more  attention  to  her  beautiful  companion  than  to  her. 
She  becomes  jealous,  suspects  the  seamstress  of  pur- 
posely favoring  her  friend  with  more  carefully  worked 
dresses,  which  enhance  her  natural  beauty,  accuses 
Rosele  of  drawing  away  her  gentlemen  friends  by 
unfair  means,  and  finally  when  she  finds  herself  more 
and  more  abandoned  by  her  acquaintances,  she  com- 
pletely breaks  off  lier  relations  with  the  friend  of  her 
childhood.  They  lead  a  separate  existence.  At  the 
age  of  thirty-five  Perele  is  bowed  down  with  sorrows  : 
she  has  buried  a  husband  and  two  children,  has  again 
married,  and  her  days  are  taken  up  in  the  care  of  her 
family  and  unpleasant  discussions  with  her  jealous  hus- 
band. Rosele  has  married  a  sickly  man  with  whom 
she  has  nothing  in  common.  He  married  her  only  for 
her  money.  Their  child  is  as  frail  as  its  father,  and 
Rosele's  days  are  passed  in  sordid  cares  and  worry. 

"  So  passed  another  twenty-five  years.  After  a  long 
severe  winter  there  came  at  last  the  young,  fresh  spring 
in  all  his  glor}^,  with  his  many  attendants  of  all  kinds 
who  warble,  whistle,  chatter,  and  clatter,  in  the  trees,  in 
the  air,  on  the  earth,  and  in  the  grass.  The  streets  are 
dry,  the  air  is  warm.   ...     In  an  avenue  of  trees,  on 


184  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

the  sunlit  side  of  it,  two  old  women  are  walking  to- 
gether. They  are  dressed  in  old-fashioned,  long  bur- 
nouses, and  hold  umbrellas  in  their  hands  against  which 
they  lean.  Their  faces  are  wrinkled,  their  heads  droop- 
ing to  one  side,  and  they  stop  every  few  steps  tliey 
take,  and  speak  with  their  toothless  mouths : 

"  '  My  dear  Perele,  this  has  been  a  long  winter  !  ' 

"  '  Yes,  a  frightful  winter  !  Thanks  to  the  Lord  it  is 
over.  To-day  it  is  good  —  the  sun  shines  so  warmly  ! 
But  I  have  put  on  my  burnous  for  all  that !  You, 
R5sele,  have  done  likewise  !  No,  it  is  not  yet  warm 
enough  for  us.' 

"  They  seated  themselves  on  the  nearest  bench  and 
continued  their  conversation : 

"  '  I  am  getting  tired  ;  I  think  we  had  better  go  home.' 

"  '  Yes,  I  am  getting  hungry,  for  I  have  eaten  to-day 
only  a  broth.  I  cannot  eat  anything  except  it  be  a 
soft,  fresh  roll  with  milk  or  something  like  it.' 

'"  I,  too  .   .   .  ' 

"  And  thus  old  age  has  again  made  peace  among  the 
two  companions  of  long  ago.  They  love  each  other 
again  just  as  before  when  they  were  children,  and  they 
did  not  know  that  one  was  pretty  and  the  other  homely, 
.  .  .  for  now  they  are  again  alike  !  Perele  and  Rosele 
have  both  alike  bent  forms  and  wrinkled  faces  ;  both 
have  no  teeth  in  their  mouths,  and  their  heads  droop 
alike.  Only  Perele  has  come  to  it  from  living  too 
much,  and  Rosele  from  not  living  at  all.  The  two 
gowns,  which  the  same  tailor  has  made  for  them  for 
the  Passover  from  the  same  piece  of  cloth  and  accord- 
ing to  the  same  fashion,  have  })leased  them  equally  well, 
and  they  need  not  complain  of  the  workmanship." 

Of  the  many  other  shorter  sketches  we  miglit  men- 
tion tlie  touehinof  scenes  in  his  '  Purim  and  Passover, 


PROSE    WHITEKS   SINCE    1881  185 

in  which  '  How  Grandfather's  Child  put  on  her  First 
Shoes '  is  the  most  pathetic.  Not  less  pathetic  is  the 
one  named  '  The  Uncle,'  in  which  are  contrasted  the 
open-hearted  reception  of  the  wealthy  uncle  in  the 
house  of  his  poor  nephew  and  the  niggardly  treatment 
of  the  nephew  by  his  relative  in  the  large  city.  Through 
all  of  Spektor's  works  passes  the  same  melancholy  strain, 
coupled  with  a  strict  objectivity  of  conception.  This 
objectivity  does  not  leave  him  even  in  cases  where  one 
would  certainly  expect  him  to  express  an  opinion  of 
his  own.  He  has  given  us,  for  example,  a  most  im- 
portant series  of  sketches  under  the  name  of  'Three 
Persons,'  in  which  the  tendencies  among  the  Russian 
Jews  in  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  are  described  with 
remarkable  clearness  ;  and  he  proceeds  to  point  out  their 
various  modifications  under  the  influence  of  the  riots. 
Here,  it  seems,  one  would  look  for  an  individual  con- 
viction, for  he  must  surely  side  with  one  of  the  parties 
discussed  by  him  so  thoroughly ;  and  yet  he  does  not 
once  betray  his  personal  preference.  This  series  is 
indispensable  to  any  one  who  wants  to  study  the  cur- 
rent of  opinion  among  the  Russian  Jews,  previous  to 
the  development  of  the  Zionistic  movement  which  now 
is  uppermost  in  their  minds.  We  are  introduced  suc- 
cessively to  the  Palestinian,  the  Assimilator,  and  the 
Neither-here-nor-there.  A  careful  psychological  study 
is  made  of  all,  with  apparently  negative  results  as  to 
their  respective  merits.  They  are  all  three  insincere 
with  their  fellow-sufferers  and  belong  to  their  organiza- 
tions only  for  personal  advantage.  The  sad  impression 
made  by  the  reading  of  these  interesting  chapters  is 
anticipated  by  the  motto  placed  at  the  head  of  them : 
Laughing  is  not  always  in  ridicule ;  laughing  is  some- 
times a  bitter  weeping. 


186  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

Among  his  best  longer  stories  is  '  Reb  Treitel,'  which 
gives  a  good  insight  into  the  life  of  a  small  town  away 
from  all  railroads  and  off  the  highway  of  travel.  One 
of  the  most  necessary  institutions  in  every  Jewish  town 
is  the  Mikwe,  the  bathhouse,  not  so  much  for  sanitary 
purposes  as  for  the  ritual  ablutions  of  the  women. 
This  mikwe  is  the  centre  of  our  story.  Around  it  are 
grouped  the  various  incidents  which  emanate  from  it 
like  the  arteries  from  the  heart.  The  bathhouse  is 
consumed  by  fire,  and  the  town  is  all  agog  with  excite- 
ment. There  is  no  immediate  outlook  that  a  new  one 
will  be  built,  and  in  the  interim  Reb  Treitel,  the 
wagon-driver,  who  has  been  despairing  of  making  both 
ends  meet,  is  doing  a  splendid  business  by  taking  the 
women  to  the  neighboring  town  for  their  ritual  ablu- 
tions. He  manages  to  keep  all  competition  away  and 
to  lay  a  heavy  tribute  on  the  feminine  population. 
Spektor  has  also  begun  a  historical  novel  dealing  on  the 
life  of  the  founder  of  the  sects  of  the  Khassidim.  He 
does  not  represent  him  there  as  an  impostor,  but  as  a 
truly  pious  man,  which  he  was,  no  doubt,  in  reality. 
So  far  he  has  published  only  chapters  on  his  youth, 
but  these  promise  a  sympathetic  treatment  of  which 
Spektor  is  eminently  capable  as  an  unbiassed  author. 

In  1887  Spektor  severed  his  connection,  with  the 
Volkshlatt  and  settled  in  Warsaw.  The  time  now 
being  ripe  for  a  purely  literary  periodical,  he  started 
the  first  of  the  kind  in  Judeo-German  literature.  He 
was,  however,  delayed  for  various  reasons,  and  another 
collective  volume  appeared  in  the  South  before  he  was 
able  to  issue  his  own.  He  named  it  Der  Hausfreund 
and  intended  it  as  an  annual,  but  the  Government 
liaving  interfered  on  various  occasions,  there  have 
appeared  only  five  numbers  so  far.     The  annual  reflects 


PROSE   WRITERS  SINCE   1881  187 

all  of  Spektor's  peculiarities.  Like  his  own  writings, 
all  of  the  articles  and  stories  contained  in  it  are  adapted 
for  the  popular  ear,  and  are  written  in  a  simple,  com- 
prehensible style.  The  scientific  discussions  are  of  a 
rudimentary  character,  and  the  criticisms  of  books  and 
the  Jewish  theatre,  which  from  now  on  becomes  an 
important  factor  in  Judeo-German  literature,  are  in- 
tended more  as  guides  to  the  reader  than  as  correctives 
to  the  authors.  Though  somewhat  primitive  in  its 
form,  this  periodical  was  calculated  to  advance  the  cause 
of  letters  among  the  masses  of  the  people.  Among  his 
contributors  we  find  in  the  first  two  numbers  such 
names  as  Goldfaden,  Zunser,  Samostschin,  Buchbinder, 
M.  Gordon,  Frug,  Linetzki,  Abramowitsch.  Among 
the  other  writers  there  are  some  who  had  before  written 
for  the  Volkshlatt  but  whose  productions  are  insignifi- 
cant. A  few  of  them,  however,  begin  to  develop  a 
greater  activity,  and  deserve  special  mention.  Among 
these  are  the  novelists  '  Isabella,'  Dienesohn,  the  col- 
lector of  legends  Meisach,  and  the  critic  Frischmann. 

'  Isabella '  is  the  pseudonym  of  Spektor's  wife.  She 
has  written  but  a  few  sketches,^  but  some  of  them  show 
remarkable  talent.  She  unites  her  husband's  objectivity 
with  a  fine  discrimination  of  humor  which  is  her  own. 
She  likes  to  dwell  on  comparisons  between  the  older 
and  the  newer  generation,  and  to  point  out  the  evil 
effects  of  a  superficial  modern  culture.  In  '  The  Or- 
phan '  she  introduces  us  to  the  house  of  Schmuel  Dawid, 
who  tries  to  keep  himself  occupied  by  teaching  chil- 
dren penmanship.  He  is  too  simple-minded  and  good- 
hearted  to  battle  with  the  world.  The  supporter  of  the 
house  is  his  wife,  Treine,  who  makes  a  living  by  usury. 

1  In  Hausfreund,  Vol.  I.  p.  67  ;  Vol.  II.  pp.  108-116 ;  Jud.  Bihlio- 
thek,  Vol.  I.  pp.  41-74. 


188  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

They  shower  their  attentions  on  their  only  descendant, 
the  peevish  granddaughter  Jentke.  She  is  sent  to  the 
gymnasium  and  later  is  loved  by  a  young  scholar,  a  lank, 
consumptive-looking  fellow,  with  whom  she  joins  one  of 
those  narrower  circles  so  common  among  the  students 
of  Russia,  where  they  propose  remedies  for  the  better- 
ment of  the  world  and  dream  of  the  millennium  near  at 
hand.  Their  one  desire  is  to  identify  themselves  with 
the  Russians  at  large.  Then  come  the  awful  years  1881 
and  1882.  All  of  a  sudden  new  ideals  begin  to  animate 
the  younger  generation.  Jentke's  lover  no  longer  calls 
himself  Fyodor  Sebastyanovitch,  but  his  visiting  card 
bears  the  homely  Jewish  name  Peessach  ben  Schabsi,  of 
which  the  former  was  only  a  Russified  form.  He  be- 
comes an  ardent  defender  of  his  race.  Later  he  marries 
Jentke,  and  a  new  career  begins  for  them.  The}^  forget 
all  their  ideals  of  the  period  before  the  riots,  to  which 
they  so  readily  subscribed  ;  they  do  not  persevere  in 
their  intention  to  devote  their  energies  to  their  people. 
They  live  only  for  themselves.  They  begin  to  hoard 
money,  and  Jentke  is  much  more  hardhearted  tlian  her 
grandmother,  for  having  abandoned  the  religious  con- 
victions of  the  older  woman,  slie  has  not  received  any 
new  moral  basis  for  her  actions.  The  grandmother 
dies,  and  the  lonely,  half-starved  grandfather  in  vain 
tries  to  find  a  resting-place  in  their  house.  They  send 
him  away  in  a  most  cruel  manner. 

Her  other  sketches  are  of  a  similar  character.  In  all 
of  these,  she  points  out  the  dangers  from  a  superficial 
modern  education,  and  the  insincerity  of  the  self-styled 
reformers  who  are  ever  read}'  to  suggest  a  remedy  for 
tlie  ills  that  befall  her  people.  Her  characters  are 
drawn  from  tliat  new  class  of  half-learned  men  and 
women  who,  receiving  their  training    in    the    gymna- 


PROSE   WRITERS   SINCE    1881  189 

sium,  were  just  on  the  point  of  disappearing  from  the 
fold  of  the  Jewish  Church,  when  they  were  violently- 
cast  back  into  it  by  the  persecutions  from  without. 
Of  an  entirely  different  tendency  are  the  writings  of 
Jacob  Dienesohn,  although  akin  to  '  Isabella '  in  the 
sympathy  he  shows  for  the  older  generation.  Diene- 
sohn had  begun  his  career  in  1875,  when  he  published 
a  novel  '  The  Dark  Young  Man,'  after  which  he  grew 
silent.  In  1885  he  took  up  his  literary  work,  since 
when  he  has  produced  two  large  novels  and  several 
shorter  sketches.  His  first  Avork  was  very  popular.  He 
depicted  in  it  the  machinations  of  an  orthodox  young 
man  of  the  older  type,  who  felt  it  his  duty  to  lay  stum- 
bling-blocks in  the  way  of  one  who  strove  to  acquire 
worldly  knowledge.  Dienesohn  occupies  a  peculiar 
place  in  Judeo-German  literature.  He  is  the  only  one 
who  has  attempted  the  lachrymose,  the  sentimental 
novel.  He  began  writing  at  a  time  when  Dick  had  pre- 
pared the  ground  for  the  romantic  story,  and  Schaike- 
witsch  had  started  on  his  sentimental  drivel.  But  while 
these  entirely  failed  to  produce  something  wholesome, 
Dienesohn  gained  with  his  first  book  an  unusual  suc- 
cess. He  drew  his  scenes  from  familiar  circles,  and  his 
men  and  women  are  all  Jews,  with  a  sphere  of  action 
not  unlike  the  one  his  readers  moved  in.  Readers  con- 
sequently were  more  easily  attracted  to  him,  and  car- 
ried away  a  greater  fund  of  instruction.  His  feminine 
audiences  have  wept  tears  over  his  work,  and  the  author 
has  received  letters  from  orthodox  young  men,  who 
assured  him  that  although  the  description  of  the  Dark 
Young  Man  fitted  them,  they  would  not  descend  to 
the  vile  methods  of  the  hero  of  the  book  in  pursuing 
differently  minded  men. 

During  his  renewed   activity,  which   began  in   the 


190  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

Volhshlatt  ten  years  after  his  first  novel  had  been 
j)rinted,  he  dwelt  on  that  period  in  the  history  of  the 
Russian  Jews  when  they  were  just  commencing  to  take 
to  the  new  culture,  when  it  still  meant  a  struggle  and 
a  sacrifice  to  tear  oneself  away  from  the  ties  which 
united  one  with  the  older  generation.  In  the  '  Stone 
in  the  Way  '  he  describes  the  many  hardsliips  which  his 
hero  had  to  overcome  ere  he  succeeded  in  acquiring  an 
education.  In  '  Herschele  '  (still  unfinished)  the  same 
subject  is  treated  in  the  case  of  a  young  mendicant 
Talmudical  scholar,  who  is  beset,  not  only  by  the  usual 
difliculties,  but  who  is,  in  addition,  trying  to  suppress 
his  earthly  love  for  the  daughter  of  the  woman  who 
furnishes  him  with  a  dinner  on  every  Wednesday. 
Dienesohn  treats  Avith  loving  gentleness  all  the  charac- 
ters he  writes  about.i  Like  Spektor,  he  attacks  no  one 
directly,  and,  like  him,  sarcasm  has  no  place  in  his 
works.  His  most  touching  and,  at  the  same  time,  the 
most  perfect  of  his  shorter  stories  is  the  one  entitled 
'The  Atonement  Day.'^  He  introduces  us  there  to  a 
scene  in  the  synagogue  where  an  old  woman  is  praying 
fervently.  Her  devotion  is  interrupted  by  her  thoughts 
of  her  daughter  at  home  whom  she  had  enjoined  to 
fast  on  that  awful  day,  although  she  had  just  given 
birth  to  a  son.  For  a  long  time  her  religious  convic- 
tions outweigh  lier  maternal  feelings,  but,  at  last,  her 
natural  sentiment  is  victorious,  and  she  hurries  home 
to  insist  on  her  daughter's  eating  something.  In 
this  way  the  new-born  babe  is  saved.      Thirty  years 

1  Other  articles  by  him :  JWd.  VolksUatt,  Vol.  V.  pp.  329  ff. ;  Vol. 
VIII.  (Beilage),  pp.  33-43  ;  Hausfreund,  Vol.  I.  pp.  1-21  ;  Vol.  II. 
pp.  75-99  ;  JM.  Volksbib.,  Vol.  I.  pp.  244-248  ;  JM.  Bibliothek,  Sup- 
plements. 

2  Hausfreund,  Vol.  II.  pp.  75-99. 


PROSE    WRITERS   SINCE   1881  191 

[)a.>s.  The  old  woman  has  died,  and  her  daughter 
Chane  is  brought  before  us  on  the  same  Atonement 
day.  She  has  grown  old,  while  her  son  lias,  in  the 
meantime,  linished  at  the  university,  and  is  a  practising 
physician.  She,  too,  is  praying  ferventl}^  and  thinking 
with  awe  of  the  day  when  young  and  old,  the  pious  and 
the  sinner  alike,  come  to  the  synagogue  and  invoke  the 
mercy  of  the  Lord  with  contrition  of  spirit.  Her  eyes 
search  in  vain  for  her  son  among  the  crowd  congregated 
below.  The  hours  pass,  and  he  does  not  appear.  Faint 
with  hunger  from  the  long  fasting  and  grieving  at  her 
son's  apostasy,  she  falls  sick  and  soon  dies.  In  her  last 
agony  she  makes  her  son  promise  her  that  he  will,  at 
least  once  a  year,  on  the  Atonement  day,  visit  the 
synagogue.  After  that,  one  can  see  every  year,  on  the 
awful  day,  the  physician  in  deep  devotion  in  the  house 
of  the  Lord. 

The  circle  which  has  Spektor  for  its  centre  is  charac- 
terized by  the  use  of  Western  literary  forms  for  its  pro- 
ductions, which  yet  are  all  of  a  distinctly  Jewish  type. 
The  object  of  the  authors  is  to  create  a  sound  literature 
for  the  masses.  Incidentally,  the  literature  is  also  to 
give  positive  instruction ;  but  primarily,  it  is  to  draw 
away  attention  from  the  worthless  books  of  the  previ- 
ous decade,  and  to  create  a  decided  taste  for  good  works. 
These  authors  also  intend  to  give  the  people  a  feeling 
for  their  racial  solidarity,  to  acquaint  them  with  the 
thought  of  the  best  of  their  race  in  an  accessible  form. 
This  period  has  completely  broken  its  connection  with 
the  older  Haskala,  for  the  writers  no  longer  dream  of 
substituting  German  culture  for  the  ignorance  of  the 
masses.  Nor  do  they  preach  of  assimilation  and  Rus- 
sian education,  for  that  has  signally  failed  to  be  of  any 
use  to  the  Jews  in  their  struggle  for  recognition.     In  the 


192  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

nineties,  the  dream  of  Zionism  was  to  haunt  these  writ- 
ers, and  many  others  who  were  to  write  then.  But,  in 
the  meanwhile,  they  have  no  other  definite  purpose  than 
to  create  a  national  consciousness,  to  instil  in  them  the 
idea  of  human  dignity,  to  develop  individual  character. 
While,  on  the  one  hand,  they  do  not  give  them  any  new 
cultural  ideals  for  those  of  the  past  generations,  they 
have,  on  the  other,  no  suggestions  to  make  in  regard  to 
the  religious  faith  of  the  orthodox,  or  the  absence  of 
religious  convictions  of  the  younger  men  and  women. 
They  do  not  attack  the  old  Law,  they  do  not  side  with 
any  modern  philosophy.  Khassid  and  Misnaged,  the 
unenlightened  and  enlightened,  are  the  same  in  the 
scale  of  their  judgment.  It  is  not  time,  they  think, 
to  discuss  about  any  such  matters,  but  to  gather  in  all 
the  unfortunate  ones  into  one  brotherhood.  The  upper 
classes  who  have  had  many  advantages  in  life,  can  shift 
for  themselves  in  forming  their  convictions,  but  it  is 
the  lower  strata  that  need  guidance,  and  it  is  the  duty 
of  those  who  are  better  informed  to  devote  their  ener- 
gies to  the  deliverance  of  their  wretched  brothers  and 
sisters.  Such  is  the  doctrine  of  these  writers.  These 
sentiments  are  not  alone  the  result  of  the  riots  of  1881. 
They  are  a  reflex  of  the  Russian  Narodniks,  who,  at 
about  the  same  time,  were  preaching  the  necessity  of 
going  among  the  people,  of  identifying  oneself  with  the 
masses,  of  devoting  all  one's  energies  in  the  cause  of  the 
peasant,  the  artisan,  the  factory  hand. 

The  Jargon  is  not  represented  in  a  contemptuous 
way,  nor  are  apologies  made  for  its  use.  On  the  con- 
trary, the  authors  try  to  show  the  wealth  of  its  expres- 
sions and  to  collect  data  for  its  history.  Lerner  writes 
a  good  essay  on  the  folksong  in  a  popular  style  ;  Diene- 
sohn   gives  a  review  of  the   older  writings  and  their 


PROSE   WRITERS   SINCE   1881  193 

authors  ;  Spektor  and  Bernstein  publish  a  large  number 
of  Judeo-German  proverbs;  Buchbinder  collects  popular 
superstitions  ;  and  Meisach  writes  a  small  book  of  Jew- 
ish folktales.  The  latter  has  also  told  in  Judeo-German 
some  of  the  legends  from  the  Talmud  and  other  sources. 
He  has  written  some  stories  in  the  style  of  Dick,  but 
like  those  they  are  disfigured  by  a  disregard  of  style. 
The  activity  of  these  men  still  continues,  independently 
of  the  new  movements  advocated  by  other  writers  and 
unimpeded  by  the  new  faith  of  Zionism. 


XIII.     PROSE   WRITERS   SINCE   1881: 
RABINOWITSCH,   PEREZ 

Solomon  Rabinowitsch  began  writing  for  the 
VolJcsblatt^  at  about  the  same  time  as  Spektor,  and 
shortly  after  the  appearance  of  the  Hausfreund  he  issued 
an  annual,  Die  Jiidische  Volksbibliothek,  which  was  of 
even  a  more  pretentious  character  than  its  contempo- 
rary. Both  authors  were  animated  by  the  same  ideas 
when  they  started  on  their  literary  careers  and  when 
they  commenced  publishing  their  periodicals.  But  a 
glance  at  the  writings  of  the  two  is  sufficient  to  con- 
vince us  that  there  is  a  wide  difference  in  the  methods 
pursued  by  them,  and  in  the  results  achieved.  Rabino- 
witsch is  impulsive,  enthusiastic,  quick-witted,  sarcastic, 
and  these  qualities  of  his  character  are  discernible  in  all 
his  productions.  He  has  attempted  many  things,  poetry, 
play  writing,  novels,  criticism,  and  he  is  successful  in  all. 
He  has  been  a  merchant  and  an  author,  has  vaulted 
over  from  a  pure  realism  to  the  illusive  dream  of  Zion- 
ism, and  bids  fair  to  follow  new  ideals  should  such 
present  themselves  to  him.  He  is  in  every  sense  an 
artistic  nature. 

While  connected  with  the  Volkshlatt  he  wrote  a 
number  of  sketches  and  short  stories.     The  first  one 

1  His  stories,  dramas,  and  poems  have  appeared  in  Ji'id.  Volksblatt, 
Vol.  III.  p.  ;]87,  hence  continuously  up  to  the  ninth  volume  of  that 
periodical ;  Familienfrennd,  Vol.  I.  pp.  73-84  ;  Hausfreund,  Vol.  I. 
pp.  45-0:3  ;  Vol.  III.  pp.  321-326  ;  Vol.  IV.  pp.  63-81 ;  Vol.  V.  pp.  97- 
123;  JM.  Volksbih.,  Vol.  I.  pp.  1-47,  241-243,  361-378;  Vol.  II. 
pp.  205-220,  304-310  ;  Wecker,  pp.  88-91. 

194 


PROSE    WRITERS   SINCE    1881  195 

to  attract  the  attention  of  the  critic  in  the  Vbschod  was 
his  '  Child's  Play,'  ^  after  which  his  new  books  never 
failed  of  bringing  out  favorable  comments  in  that  Rus- 
sian periodical.  He  depicts  scenes  from  his  own  child- 
hood, or  from  that  middle  class  into  which  his  fortune, 
an  inheritance  of  his  wife,  brought  him.  His  impulsive- 
ness keeps  him  from  elaborating  his  sketches  into  long 
novels,  such  as  Spektor  and  Dienesohn  have  produced. 
There  is  rarely  a  complicated  j)lot  in  them,  but  the 
separate  situations  are  painted  with  great  clearness  and 
in  bold  relief.  One  may  forget  the  story,  but  one  will 
never  forget  his  characters.  They  have  all  of  them 
their  sharply  defined  individuality,  their  language,  their 
circle  of  thought.  We  get  acquainted  with  them 
through  their  actions  rather  than  through  the  author's 
description,  and  we  like  them  not  for  the  parts  they 
play  in  the  story,  but  for  their  strong  personalities, 
equally  pronounced  in  their  virtues  as  in  their  weak- 
nesses. The  men  and  women  he  describes  we  have  met 
somewhere,  and  we  shall  again  recognize  should  we 
meet  them  in  actual  life.  The  Russian  critic,  who  is 
naturally  in  touch  with  his  own  literature,  unconsciously 
thinks  of  this  and  that  well-known  character  in  the 
writings  of  Gogol  and  Ostrovski,  when  he  speaks  of 
Rabinowitsch's  creations,  and  at  times  he  actually  gives 
them  their  Russian  names.  But  Rabinowitsch  does  not 
imitate  Gogol  and  Ostrovski,  at  least  not  purposel}-. 
He  is  himself  possessed  of  a  humor  which  is  not  dissimi- 
lar to  that  of  the  Russian  authors,  and  the  society  which 

1  Voschod,  Vol.  VII.  No.  6.  Reviews  of  his  other  works  are  in 
Voschod,  Vol.  VII.  Nos.  7,  8;  Vol.  VIII.  No.  10,  and  in  later  num- 
bers ;  of  Sender  Blank,  by  J.  J.  Lerner  (unfavorable),  in  Jlld.  Volks- 
hih.,  Vol.  VIII.  (Beilage),  No.  29,  pp.  804-876,  under  the  title  Lehen- 
dige  Meessim.     Short  mention  of  his  works  in  Sseefer  Sikoron,  p.  105. 


196  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

he  describes  is  not  unlike  the  one  Gogol  knew  half  a 
century  ago,  and  Ostrovski  found  even  at  a  later  time 
among  the  merchant  class  of  Moscow.  He  is  a  close 
observer,  and  knows  how  to  separate  the  wheat  from 
the  chaff,  to  present  to  the  reader  only  the  essential 
characteristics,  and  not  to  burden  the  story  with  sub- 
jective discussions. 

Although  Rabinowitsch  may  have  started  in  the 
literary  field  with  no  other  idea  than  the  current  one 
of  elevating  the  lower  classes,  there  is  certainly  nothing 
in  his  works  to  show  that  that  has  long  remained  his 
main  object.  He  writes  to  entertam,  and  not  to  instruct. 
Moreover,  he  draws  his  subjects  from  a  class  of  society 
with  which  the  masses  are  not  particularly  well  ac- 
quainted. With  him  the  last  spark  of  the  didactic 
ideals  of  the  Haskala  has  entirely  vanished.  He  is 
above  all  else  a  litterateur  who  is  addressing  an  audience 
with  a  decided  taste  for  good  literature.  He  is,  there- 
fore, more  calculated  to  win  the  ears  of  the  better 
Y  classes  than  of  the  lowly  of  his  race,  to  exercise  a  cor- 

rective influence  on  the  manners  of  the  middle  class 
than  to  educate  or  console  the  masses. 

Of  his  longer  works,  'Stempenju'  is  the  most  artis- 
tically conceived  and  most  carefully  executed.  In  his 
previous  productions  such  as  '  Child's  Play,'  and  '  Sen- 
der Blank,'  he  had  humorously  depicted  scenes  from 
the  life  of  the  merchant  class.  In  the  first  of  these, 
he  introduces  us  into  the  life  and  love  of  a  rich  man's 
spoiled,  half-educated  son.  In  the  second,  which  he 
names  a  novel  without  love,  we  get  an  excellent  picture 
of  a  tyrant  and  miser,  the  terror  of  his  family,  the 
merchant  Sender  Blank.  He  is  on  his  death-bed,  and 
his  congregated  children  are,  each  in  his  own  way, 
dreaming  of  the  moment  when  they  shall  be  free  to  do 


PROSE    WRITERS   SINCE   1881  197 

as  they  like,  wlieii  they  shall  no  longer  be  kept  in  pov- 
erty. But  Sender  Blank  gets  well  again,  and  his 
family  departs,  each  one  to  his  home  with  shattered 
hopes.  In  '  Stempenju '  we  have  a  more  carefully  laid 
plot,  and  his  first  attempt  at  a  novel  in  which  a  roman- 
tic love  plays  a  part.  Stempenju  is  a  violinist,  the 
leader  of  a  band  that  plays  at  weddings.  He  has  great 
talent  for  music  and  has  developed  his  powers  entirely 
by  self-instruction.  He  is  a  real  artist,  and  like  many 
others  of  his  profession  takes  life  easy,  and  is  of  amor- 
ous propensities.  He  has  frequently  made  love  to 
Jewish  women,  but  the  latter  generally  pay  no  atten- 
tion to  his  assurances.  But  once  he  falls  in  with  a  girl 
who  takes  his  words  in  earnest,  and  in  a  prosaic  way, 
without  any  idea  of  love  on  her  part,  compels  him 
to  marry  her.  She  takes  him  in  her  hands  and  would 
have  him  lead  a  settled,  prosaic  life  also.  But  he 
finds  relief  from  his  sordid  existence  every  time  he 
journeys  away  with  his  band  to  play  at  some  wedding. 
Once  he  notices  upon  such  an  occasion  a  young  mar- 
ried woman  who  awakes  in  him  the  first  inkling  of  a 
real,  romantic  love.  Rochel  —  that  is  her  name  —  is 
both  beautiful  in  form  and  kind  and  lovable  in  char- 
acter. After  many  overtures  he  almost  succeeds  in 
gaining  her  love.  It  is  the  easier  to  succumb  to  Stem- 
penju's  importunities  since  she  has  a  silly,  worthless 
man  for  a  husband.  She  finally  comes  out  victoriously 
from  her  inner  struggle,  for  her  religious  conviction  of 
the  holiness  of  the  marriage  ties  are  stronger  in  her 
than  her  natural  inclination.  Stempenju  returns  home, 
and  tries  to  find  his  consolation  and  relief  from  his 
scolding  wife  by  having  more  frequent  recourse  to  his 
violin.  He  plays  even  more  sweetly  and  more  sadly 
than  before. 


198  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

His  other  large  novel,  '  Jossele  Ssolowee,'  is  also  a 
characterization  of  the  life  of  an  artist,  this  time  a 
singer.  Of  his  shorter  sketches  it  is  hard  to  select  one 
as  the  best,  as  they  are  all  well  written.  We  shall  take 
at  random  the  one  entitled  '  The  Colonization  of  Pales- 
tine.' Selig,  the  tailor,  has  read  something  about  the 
colonization  scheme  in  Palestine.  He  joins  a  society 
for  the  promotion  of  that  idea,  and  finally  abandons  his 
work  to  go  to  the  neighboring  town,  where  he  has 
heard  there  is  a  society  that  has  a  fund  from  which 
to  pay  the  travelling  expenses  of  prospective  settlers  in 
the  Holy  Land.  After  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  he  finds 
the  president  of  the  society,  who  is  vexed  at  having 
applicants  but  no  members  ready  as  settlers  to  support 
the  scheme,  for  fund  there  is  none.  The  tailor  offers  a 
small  coin  as  his  contribution,  the  first  that  has  been 
given,  and  returns  home  a  wiser  man  and  more  satis- 
fied with  his  lot.  The  story  is  told  humorously,  and  is 
meant  as  a  sarcasm  at  the  readiness  of  the  Jews  to  form 
new  schemes  and  support  them  with  eloquence  of 
speech,  but  not  in  a  substantial  manner. 

Rabinowitsch  has  also  attempted  a  kind  of  poetic 
prose  in  his  '  Nosegay,'  but  in  this  he  has  not  been  very 
successful.  He  is  at  best  where  he  can  make  use  of 
wit  and  sarcasm,  and  that  he  has  been  able  to  apply 
better  in  his  stories  and  comedies.  Of  the  latter  his 
'  Jaknehos '  is  a  good  picture  taken  from  the  life  of  the 
men  who  do  business  on  'Change.  Here  again  the  plot 
is  the  minor  part  of  the  play,  but  the  separate  scenes 
are  drawn  in  bold  strokes. 

When  Rabinowitsch  came  into  his  fortune,  he  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  devoting  his  energy  and  his  money 
to  the  creation  of  a  })oriodical  such  as  had  never  before 
existed  in  Judeo-German  literature.     Oidy  two  volumes 


PROSE   WRITERS  SINCE    1881  199 

appeared,  when  bad  speculations  on  'Change  made  him 
a  poor  man.  These  two  annuals  show  that  had  he  been 
more  fortunate,  he  soon  would  have  brought  Judeo- 
German  letters  to  a  height  where  they  would  have  taken 
place  by  the  side  of  the  best  in  Europe.  His  enthusi- 
asm, his  critical  acumen,  his  talents,  fitted  him  emi- 
nently for  that  undertaking.  Spektor's  aim  in  issuing 
the  Hausfreund  was  the  more  modest  one  of  furnish- 
ing the  people  with  wholesome  reading.  How  difficult 
his  task  has  been  can  be  seen  from  the  fact  that  the 
articles  for  his  periodical  are  not  paid  for.  They  are 
voluntary  contributions  by  those  who  have  the  welfare 
of  the  masses  at  heart.  However  good  the  forces  may 
be,  it  is  not  possible  in  these  degenerate  days  to  expect 
a  natural  development  of  a  literature  when  the  Avriters 
can  hope  to  earn  neither  glory  nor  money  by  their 
labors.  No  Judeo-German  litterateur  has  ever  been 
able  to  make  more  than  a  scanty  living,  and  that  only 
sporadically,  out  of  liis  books.  But  here  came  Rabi- 
nowitsch,  who  paid  liberally  for  all  the  articles  fur- 
nished him.  That  was  an  innovation  from  which  only 
good  could  result.  But  the  editor  not  only  paid  his 
contributors ;  he  demanded  well-written  articles,  and 
he  accepted  only  the  best  of  those.  In  his  annual  we 
find  departments,  —  Belles  Lettres,  Criticism,  Science, 
Bibliography,  each  being  strictly  defined  in  its  proper 
sphere.  In  the  division  of  belles  lettres  we  find  all 
the  best  authors  of  the  time.  Here  also  appeared  for 
the  first  time  articles  from  the  pen  of  Frischmann, 
M.  J.  Rabinowitsch,  and  Perez,  who  belong  among  the 
most  talented  of  Judeo-German  writers.  Among  the 
scientific  articles  there  are  several  of  a  historical  char- 
acter, such  as  'On  the  History  of  the  Jews  in  Podolia,' 
by  Litinski,  '  The  Massacres  of  Gonlo  in  Uman  and  the 


200  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

Ukraine,'  by  Dr.  Skomarowski.  There  are  several  dis- 
cussions on  popular  medicine,  mainly  from  the  pen  of 
the  indefatigable  worker  in  that  direction  for  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  century,  Dr.  Tscherny,  and  there 
is  one  on  '  The  History  of  Judeo-German  Literature ' 
by  A.  Schulmann.  The  latter  is  the  result  of  years 
of  investigation  and  is  remarkably  rich  in  biblio- 
graphical data.  It  would  do  honor  to  any  scientific 
periodical.  The  part  given  to  bibliography  is  of  great 
importance  to  the  student  of  Judeo-German  literature, 
as  that  bibliography  is  in  such  a  bad  condition  that  it 
is  not  possible  for  certain  periods,  especially  the  older, 
to  give  absolutely  correct  data.  But  the  most  interest- 
ing department  in  the  periodical  is  that  of  criticism, 
which  is  a  new  factor  in  Judeo-German.  Heretofore  a 
few  scattered  remarks  on  books  might  be  found  in  the 
Volksblatt,  but  a  systematic  treatment  of  that  branch  of 
literature  was  unknown  to  the  older  writers,  and  would 
have  been  of  no  use  to  the  readers.  But  here,  in  the 
Volksbibliothek,  we  not  only  find  this  new  departure,  but 
there  are  not  less  than  eighty  pages  devoted  to  it  in  the 
first  volume. 

Rabinowitsch  had  published  but  a  short  time  before 
a  volume  entitled  '  Schomer's  Mischpet,'  i.e.  '  The  Judg- 
ment of  Schaikewitsch,'  which  marks  a  new  era.  In 
this  book  the  author  passes  in  review  the  writings  of 
Schaikewitsch  and  his  like  who  have  been  supplying 
the  people  with  a  worthless  literature.  It  is  written 
in  an  entertaining  style,  in  the  form  of  a  judicial 
proceeding,  and  has  produced  to  a  certain  extent  the 
effect  that  it  was  intended  to  produce :  the  sale  of 
those  books  fell  off  rapidly,  and  thus  the  field  was 
again  free  for  a  new  and  better  class  of  Avorks.  It 
cannot  be  said  that  Rabinowitsch  has  always  been  just 


PROSE   WRITERS   SINCE    1881  201 

to  the  men  under  judgment,  but  on  the  whole  his  opinion 
is  sound,  and  his  verdicts  will  stand.  In  his  zeal  he  has 
sometimes  been  led  to  make  sweeping  statements,  by 
which  he  has  left  some  loopholes  to  the  opponents  who 
have  taken  him  to  task.  However,  criticism  from  now 
on  becomes  an  established  institution,  and  no  author  can 
escape  a  thorough  inspection.  The  first  to  follow  the 
example  of  Rabinowitsch  was  Frischmann,  who  brought 
out  the  same  year  a  few  sound  reviews  in  the  Haus- 
freund.  In  the  Volksbibliothek  that  duty  is  attended  to 
by  Rabnizki  ^  and  the  editor.  Thc}^  not  only  criticise 
unworthy  productions,  but  also  direct  the  attention  to 
good  books,  and  encourage  young  writers  if  they  seem  to 
deserve  encouragement.  Rabiuowitsch's  talent  in  this 
direction  is  shown  at  its  best  in  his  biting  sarcasm  in 
reviewing  Perez's  poetry  ^  (although  he  is  not  entirely 
just  to  him),  and  still  better  in  his  witty  criticism  of 
the  various  dictions  used  in  Judeo-German.  Perez, 
who  is  a  genius  of  no  mean  proportions  and  who  has 
started  out  in  new  directions  in  literature,  has  some- 
how aroused  the  displeasure  of  the  critics,  who  will  not 
put  up  with  his  symliolism.  Frischmann  has  taken  him 
to  task  for  his  alleged  obscurity  and  other  imagined 
faults  in  a  series  of  masterly  caricatures.^  Frischmann 
also  does  not  spare  others  who  incur  his  wrath,  and 
though  one  need  not  subscribe  to  his  judgments,  one 
cannot  help  learning  useful  things  by  his  anatomies. 
By  these  we  see,  among  other  things,  what  progress 
Judeo-German  is  making  ;    for  individuality  of  style 

1  Other  articles  by  Rabnizki  in  Wecker,  pp.  62-74,  115-122;  Heilige 
Land,  pp.  13-25. 

2  In  his  Kol-meicasser,  col.  31-34. 

^  Lokschen  and  A  Floh  vun  Tischebow ;  see  Bibliography,  under 
Frischmann. 


202  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

must  be  pronounced  to  deserve  imitation  and  parody. 
Frischmann  has  also  written  some  pretty  tales  of  a 
fantastic  nature,  such  as  fairy  tales,  and  a  few  from 
actual  life.i  His  stories  are  all  well  worth  reading, 
particularly  on  account  of  the  excellent  style  he  culti- 
vates. M.  J.  Rabinowitsch's  stories  are  mainly  trans- 
lations of  his  own  Russian  compositions.^  They  are  all 
pictures  from  the  Ghetto  in  Russia  and  Roumania,  not 
unlike  those  by  Bernstein  and  Kompert.  They  lack 
the  spontaneity  of  the  Judeo-German  writers,  but  are 
carefully  executed  as  to  form. 

By  far  the  most  original  author  of  this  latest  period 
is  Perez,^  whose  poetical  works  have  been  discussed 
before.  With  him  Judeo-German  letters  enter  into 
competition  with  what  there  is  best  in  the  world's  lit- 
erature, where  he  will  some  day  occupy  an  honorable 
place.  Among  his  voluminous  works  there  is  not  one 
that  is  mediocre,  not  one  that  would  lose  anything  of 
its  comprehensibleness  by  being  translated  into  another 
language.  Although  they  at  times  deal  with  situations 
taken  from  Jewish  life,  it  is  their  universal  human 
import  that  interests  him,  not  their  specifically  racial 

1  Frischmann's  stories,  reviews,  and  poems  may  be  found  in  JWd. 
Volksblatt,  Vol.  VIII.  (Beilage),  pp.  92,  93  ;  Vol.  IX.  Nos.  23,  30,  32, 
51,  62  ;  Familienfrennd,  Vol.  II.  pp.  47-49  ;  Hausfreund,  Vol.  II. 
pp.  22-25,  66-73,  151-170  ;  Vol.  III.  pp.  175,  176  ;  Vol.  IV.  pp.  167- 
176  ;  Vol.  V.  pp.  7-21,  159-161  ;  JUd.  Volksbib.,  Vol.  I.  pp.  211-221 ; 
Handelskalender,  pp.  100-104. 

2  His  stories  appeared  in  JUd.  Volksbib.,  Vol.  I.  pp.  183-210  ;  Vol. 
II.  pp.  225-246  ;  JUd.  Volkskalender,  Vol.  III.  pp.  70-81. 

8  In  addition  to  the  very  large  number  of  stories,  etc.,  in  his  own 
publications,  Perez  has  contributed  to  JUd.  Volksbib.,  Vol.  I.  pp.  148- 
158  ;  Vol.  II.  pp.  126-129,  130-138,  142-147,  167,  168,  195-204;  Haus- 
freund, Vol.  III.  pp.  111-113,  179-181  ;  Handelskalender,  pp.  79-83, 
105-113;  Kleiner  Wecker,  pp.  25-29;  Jud.  Volkskalender,  Vol.  III. 
pp.  105-111. 


PROSE    WRITERS   SINCE   1881  203 

characteristics.  It  is  mere  inertia  and  the  desire  to 
serve  his  people  that  keep  him  in  the  ranks  of  Judeo- 
German  writers.  He  does  not  belong  there  by  any 
criterions  that  we  have  applied  to  his  confreres,  who 
themselves  complain  that  his  symbolism  is  inaccessible  to 
the  masses  for  whom  he  pretends  to  write.  While  this 
accusation  is  certainly  just  in  the  case  of  some  of  his 
works,  it  cannot  be  brought  up  in  many  other  cases, 
where,  in  spite  of  the  allegory,  mysticism,  or  symbolism 
underlying  his  tale,  there  is  a  sufficient  real  residue  of 
intelligible  story  for  the  humblest  of  his  readers.  He, 
too,  aims  at  the  education  of  Jiis  people,  but  in  a  vastly 
dijfferent  sense  from  his  predecessors.  It  is  not  the 
material  information  of  mere  facts  that  he  strives  for, 
nor  even  the  broader  culture  of  the  schools  that  he 
would  substitute  for  the  Jewish  lore  and  religious 
training,  nor  is  he  satisfied,  with  Spektor,  to  rouse  the 
dormant  national  consciousness.  His  sympathies  are 
with  humanity  at  large,  and  the  Jews  are  but  one  of 
the  units  that  are  to  be  redeemed  from  the  social  slav- 
ery under  which  the  wretched  of  the  world  groan.  It 
is  those  who  have  become  timid  under  oppression  of 
whatsoever  form,  who  have  lost  the  power  of  think- 
ing, who  have  developed  only  the  power  of  suffer- 
ing, who  are  saints  without  knowing  it,  that  Perez 
loves  best.  To  them  he  would  restore  the  human 
rights  so  long  withheld  from  them,  not  by  political  and 
social  enfranchisement,  but  by  a  consciousness  of  their 
human  dignity  which  must  precede  all  reform.  To 
those  to  whom  belongs  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  must 
also  be  given  the  Kingdom  on  Earth.  While,  never- 
theless, the  material  things  are  withheld  from  them, 
there  is  no  reason  why  the  spiritual  things  should  not 
be  turned  over  to  them.     Perez,  for  one,  offers  gladly 


204  YIDDISH  LITERATUKE 

all  he  has,  his  genius,  in  the  service  of  the  lowly. 
Literature,  according  to  him,  is  not  to  be  a  flimsy  pas- 
time of  the  otiose,  but  a  consolation  to  those  who  have 
no  other  consolation,  a  safe  and  pleasurable  retreat  for 
those  who  are  buffeted  about  on  the  stormy  sea  of  life. 
For  these  reasons  he  writes  in  Judeo-German  and  not 
in  any  other  language  with  which  he  is  conversant,  and 
for  these  same  reasons  he  prefers  to  dwell  with  the 
downtrodden  and  the  submerged. 

To  these  people  he  devotes  his  best  energies,  and  he 
uses  the  same  care  in  filing  and  finishing  his  works  that 
he  would  use  if  he  were  writing  for  a  public  trained  in 
the  best  thoughts  of  the  world  and  used  to  the  highest 
type  of  literature.  His  first  prose  work,  though  not 
the  first  to  be  printed,  was  a  small  volume  entitled 
'Well-known  Pictures,'  containing  three  stories:  'The 
Messenger,' '  What  Is  a  Soul  ? '  and  '  The  Crazy  Beggar- 
Student.'  In  the  first  he  tells  of  the  last  errand  of  an 
aged  messenger  who  through  cold  and  rain  and  snow  is 
making  his  way  on  foot  to  a  distant  village  where  he  has 
to  deliver  an  important  document.  He  trudges  along  in 
hunger  and  pain,  but  not  a  word  of  complaint  escapes 
his  lips.  Through  his  head  pass  old  recollections  of  the 
time  when  his  wife  was  still  alive,  when  his  children 
were  all  gathered  about  him.  They  have  left  him,  but 
he  is  sure  they  are  getting  on  well  in  their  new  homes, 
for,  he  consoles  himself,  bad  news  travels  fast.  His 
strength  gives  out,  and  he  seats  himself  on  a  heap  of 
snow  to  take  a  rest.  He  begins  to  dream  of  the  not 
distant  inn  where  the  wife  of  the  innkeeper  will  pre- 
pare a  warm  broth  for  him.  He  already  sees  himself 
seated  at  the  table  when  strange  persons  enter  the 
room.  He  soon  recognizes  them  as  his  sons,  and  they 
embrace  him  and  kiss   him  impetuously.     In  vain  he 


PROSE   WRITERS  SINCE   1881  205 

begs  them  to  desist  from  their  clioking  embraces,  for 
he  is  old  and  feeble.  He  begs  them  to  be  careful  with 
him,  for  he  has  been  intrusted  with  a  sum  of  money 
that  must  be  brought  to  its  place  of  destination.  .  .  . 
The  old  messenger  was  found  dead,  his  hand  npon  his 
coat  pocket  in  which  he  carried  the  intrusted  document. 

The  second  sketch  is  of  a  more  cheerful  character. 
It  tells  of  the  many  troubles  and  doubts  that  a  certain 
boy  has  ere  he  discovers  what  a  soul  really  is.  When 
very  young  his  father  dies,  and  they  tell  him  that  his 
soul  has  flown  to  heaven.  Ever  after  he  imagines  the 
soul  to  be  a  bird.  But  he  is  ridiculed  for  that  belief  by 
his  teacher's  monitor.  The  teacher  himself  is  accus- 
tomed to  maltreat  the  boys  and  whip  them  mercilessly. 
He  explains  to  them  that  the  punishment  of  the  body 
is  good  for  the  soul.  What,  then,  is  the  soul  ?  the 
young  boy  asks  himself  again.  Then  the  teacher  tells 
the  children  many  fairy  tales  about  the  prenatal  life 
of  the  soul,  when  the  angel  of  life  instructs  it  daily  in 
the  wisdom  of  the  Bible  and  the  Talmud.  And  that 
belief  is  soon  taken  from  him  by  his  instructor  of  pen- 
manship, who  has  a  turn  to  liberal  ideas.  So  the  boy 
keeps  on  wavering  from  belief  to  doubt  and  back  again 
until  the  age  of  seventeen  or  eighteen,  when  he  is  study- 
ing the  Talmud  with  a  new  teacher.  Once,  in  his  ab- 
sence, it  occurs  to  him  to  get  the  opinion  of  Giitele, 
his  beautiful  daughter,  who  is  known  by  the  name  of 
the  wise  Giitele,  on  the  question  which  has  been  puzzling 
him  so  long,  and  for  which  he  has  suffered  so  often  in 
his  life.     With  trembling  he  asks  her  : 

"'They  say,  Giitele,  that  you  are  wise.  Tell  me, 
then,  I  beg  you,  what  is  a  soul  ? ' 

"  She  smiled  and  answered  :  .^s^^tpf^ 

"'Truly,  I  do  not  know.' 


206  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

"  Only  all  at  once  she  grew  sad,  and  tears  filled  her 
eyes. 

" '  I  just  happened  to  think,'  she  said,  '  when  my 
mother  of  blessed  memory  was  alive,  my  father  used 
to  say  that  she  was  his  soul  .  .  .  they  loved  each 
other  so  much!   .   .   . ' 

"  I  do  not  know  how  it  came  to  me,  only  I  suddenly 
took  hold  of  her  hand,  and  trembling,  said : 

"  '  Giitele,  would  you  like  to  be  my  soul  ? ' 

"  She  answered  me,  softly  : 

"'Yes.'" 

From  these  two  soulful,  tender  stories,  we  pass  to 
one  not  less  pathetic  and  an  even  more  profound  psy- 
chological study.  The  beggar-student,  harmlessly  in- 
sane, has  grown  faint  from  two  days'  fasting  and  long 
poring  over  the  Talmud,  and  is  discussing  with  himself 
whether  he  is  one,  or  two,  or  more,  and  whether  he  is 
really  himself.  He  has  finally  the  same  doubts  of  Wolf 
the  Merchant,  who  is  just  reading  in  the  Talmud.  He 
imagines  that  three  Wolfs  are  sitting  there :  one  who 
is  trying  to  cheat  God  with  his  piety ;  one  who  cheats 
his  fellow-men  in  his  shop  ;  and  one  who  beats  his  wife 
who  furnishes  the  beggar-student  with  an  occasional 
meal.  He  takes  a  violent  dislike  to  the  third  Wolf, 
and  would  like  to  kill  him,  but  he  does  not  wish  to 
injure  the  other  two  Wolfs.  The  monologue  of  this 
beggar-student,  told  in  about  twenty  octavo  pages,  is 
one  of  the  most  remarkable  to  be  found  in  any  litera- 
ture: it  must  be  read  in  the  original  to  be  fully  ap- 
preciated. 

With  such  a  book  Perez  made  his  entrance  into  the 
field  of  letters.  To  sa}^  that  his  future  works  show  a 
riper  talent  would  be  to  place  too  low  an  estimate  on 
his  first  book,  which,  in   spite  of   the  many  excellent 


PROSE    WHITEHS   SINCE    1881  207 

things  he  has  written,  still  remains  among  the  very- 
best.  In  1891,  when  Spektor's  annual  was  temporarily 
suspended,  and  Rabinowitsch's  periodical  had  ceased 
appearing,  Perez  issued  a  new  periodical.  Die  jildische 
Bibliothek,  which  he  intended  to  be  a  semi-annual,  but  of 
which  only  three  volumes  have  so  far  been  issued.  In 
the  introduction  to  the  first  volume  Perez  makes  a  plea 
for  the  education  of  the  people,  in  which  are  the  fol- 
lowing significant  words :  "  Help  us  educate  the  poor, 
wretched  people ;  leave  them  not  a  prey  to  fanatics, 
who  will  suck  out  the  last  trace  of  blood  and  the  last 
trace  of  marrow  from  their  lean  bones.  Leave  them 
not  in  the  hands  of  the  visionaries,  who  will  entice 
them  into  wildernesses!  Let  not  boys  and  school-chil- 
dren lead  them  by  the  nose,  —  have  pity  on  the  people ! 
Let  them  not  fall !  The  people  have  in  themselves  a 
certain  amount  of  vital  power,  a  fund  of  energy.  The 
people  are  the  carriers  of  a  civilization  that  the  world 
does  not  undervalue,  of  ideas  that  would  be  of  great 
use  to  it.  The  people  are  an  ever  living  flower.  ...  In 
daytime,  when  the  sun  shines,  when  the  spirit  of  man 
is  developing,  it  revives  and  unfolds  its  leaves  ;  but  no 
sooner  does  dark  night  approach  than  it  closes  up 
again,  shrivels  up,  and  goes  back  into  itself.  ...  It  is 
then  that  it  has  the  appearance  of  a  common  weed  .  .  . 
and  when  the  sun  once  more  rises,  some  time  passes 
before  the  sun  seeks  out  the  flower  and  the  flower  dis- 
covers that  the  sun  shines.  ...  At  night  it  becomes 
dusty  and  soiled,  so  that  the  beams  of  light  cannot 
penetrate  it  easily !  Help  the  people  to  recognize  the 
sun  early  in  the  morning  !  .  .  .  But  the  main  thing, 
means  must  be  devised  for  the  people  to  earn  a  liv- 
ing.  ..." 

In  conformity  with  this  platform,  Perez  calls  his  new 


208  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

periodical  a  literary,  social,  and  economical  periodical. 
Not  only  did  the  difficult  task  of  editing  this  novel 
magazine  devolve  on  Perez  :  he  had  also  to  supply  the 
greater  part  of  the  literature  himself,  for  there  existed 
no  writers  in  Judeo-Gerraan  who  could  follow  him 
readily  in  his  new  departure.  He  had  to  write  the 
greater  part  of  the  scientific  department,  all  of  the 
reviews,  all  tlie  editorials.  In  addition,  he  fur- 
nished most  of  the  poetry  and  the  novels.  The 
few  other  writers  who  published  their  articles  in 
this  magazine  owed  their  development  to  the  editor's 
fostering  care  :  they  had  nearly  all  been  encouraged 
for  the  first  time  by  him.  Of  his  scientific  articles  par- 
ticular mention  must  be  made  of  his  long  essay  '  On 
Trades,'  which  is  a  popularization  of  political  economy, 
brought  down  to  the  level  of  the  humblest  reader.  The 
admirable,  entertaining  style,  the  aptness  of  the  illustra- 
tions, and  the  absence  of  doctrinarianism  make  it  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  productions  in  popular  science. 
Still  more  literary  and  perfect  in  form  are  his  '  Pictures 
of  a  Provincial  Journey.'  It  seems  that  Perez  had  been 
sent  into  the  province  for  the  sake  of  collecting  statis- 
tical data  on  the  condition  of  the  Jews  resident  there. 
This  essay  is  apparently  a  diary  of  his  experiences  on 
that  trip.  We  do  not  remember  of  having  read  in  any 
literature  any  journal  approaching  this  one  in  literary 
value.  What  makes  it  particularly  interesting  is  that 
it  is  written  so  that  it  will  interest  those  very  humble 
people  about  whom  he  is  writing.  The  picture  of 
misery  which  he  unrolls  before  us,  however  saddening 
and  distressing,  is  made  so  attractive  by  the  manner  of 
its  telling  tliat  one  cannot  lay  aside  the  book  until  one 
has  read  the  whole  seventy  quarto  pages. 

Perez  has  written   more  than  fifty  sketches,  all  of 


PROSE    WRITERS   SINCE   1881  209 

them  of  the  same  sterling  value  as  the  three  described 
above.  Every  new  one  is  an  additional  gem  in  the 
crown  he  is  making  for  himself.  They  are  all  charac- 
terized by  the  same  tender  patlios,  the  same  excellence 
of  style,  the  same  delicacy  of  feeling.  He  generally 
prefers  the  tragic  moments  in  life  as  fit  objects  for  his 
sympathetic  pen,  but  he  has  also  treated  in  a  masterly 
manner  the  gentle  sentiment  of  love.  But  it  is  an 
entirely  different  kind  from  the  romantic  love,  that  he 
deems  worthy  of  attention.  It  is  the  marital  affection 
of  the  humblest  families,  which  is  developed  under  diffi- 
culties, strengthened  by  adversity,  checkered  by  mis- 
fortune; it  is  the  saintliest  of  all  loves  that  he  tells  about 
as  no  one  before  him  has  ever  told.  In  the  same  manner 
he  likes  to  dwell  on  all  the  virtues  which  are  brought 
out  by  suffering,  which  are  evolved  through  misery  and 
oppression,  which  are  more  gentle,  more  unselfish,  more 
divine,  the  lower  we  descend  in  the  scale  of  humanity. 
Nor  need  one  suppose  that  in  order  to  show  his  char- 
acters from  that  most  advantageous  side,  the  author  has 
to  resort  to  disguises  of  idealization.  They  are  no 
better  and  no  worse  than  one  meets  every  day  and  all 
around  us  ;  but  they  are  such  as  only  he  knows  who  is 
not  deterred  by  the  shabbiness  of  their  dress  and  the 
squalor  of  their  homes  from  making  their  intimate 
acquaintance.  They  do  not  carry  their  virtues  for 
show,  they  do  not  give  monetary  contributions  for 
charities,  they  do  not  join  societies  for  the  promotion 
of  philanthropic  institutions,  they  do  not  preach  on 
duties  to  God  and  on  the  future  life,  they  are  not  even 
given  to  the  expression  of  moral  indignation  at  the 
sight  of  sin.  But  they  are  none  the  less  possessed  of 
the  finer  sentiments  which  come  to  the  surface  only  in 
the  narrower  circle  of  their  f;imilics,  in  tlieir  relations 


210  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

to  their  fellow-sufferers.  Not  even  the  eloquent  advo- 
cate of  the  people  generally  cares  to  enter  that  un- 
familiar sphere  as  Perez  has  done.  His  affection  for 
the  meanest  of  his  race  is  not  merely  platonic.  He  not 
only  knows  Avhereof  he  speaks  :  he  feels  it ;  and  thus  we 
get  the  saddest,  the  tenderest,  the  sweetest  stories  from 
the  life  of  the  lowliest  of  the  Jews  that  have  ever  been 
written. 

In  1894  Perez  published  a  collective  volume,  '  Litera- 
ture and  Life,'  which  contains,  like  his  periodical, 
mostly  productions  of  his  own.  As  they  were  com- 
posed at  some  later  time  than  those  spoken  of  above, 
and  as  they  contain  some  matter  in  which  he  appears 
in  a  new  role,  we  shall  discuss  the  volume  at  some 
length.  In  the  introduction  are  given  his  general  aims, 
which  are  not  different  from  those  expressed  in  his 
former  publication.  The  final  words  of  it  are :  "  We 
want  the  Jew  to  feel  like  a  man,  to  take  part  in  all 
that  is  human,  to  live  and  strive  humanly,  and  if  he 
is  offended,  to  feel  offended  like  a  man  !  "  The  first 
sketch  is  entitled  'In  the  Basement.'  It  is  the  story 
of  the  incipient  marital  love  of  a  young  couple  who 
are  so  poor  that  they  live  in  a  dark  basement,  in  a  room 
that  serves  as  a  dwelling  for  several  families  whose 
separate  'rooms'  are  divided  off  from  each  other  only 
by  thin,  low  partitions.  The  second  is  '  Bontsie  Silent,' 
which  is  given  in  our  Chrestomathy.  It  belongs  to  the 
same  category  of  sketches  as  his  'The  Messenger.'  It 
presents,  probably  better  than  any  other,  the  author's 
conception  of  the  character  of  the  virtues  of  the  long- 
suffering  masses.  Who  can  read  it  without  being 
moved  to  the  depth  of  his  heart  ?  There  is  no  exag- 
geration in  it,  no  melodrama,  nothing  but  the  bitter 
reality.     It  expresses,  in  a  more  direct  way  than  any- 


PROSE   WRITERS   SINCE    1881  211 

thing  else  he  has  written,  his  faitli  that  the  Kingdom 
of  Heaven  belongs  to  the  lowly. 

The  sketch  named  '  The  Fur-Cap '  is  one  of  the  very 
few  that  he  has  written  as  an  attack  on  the  Khassidic 
Rabbi.  There  is  here,  however,  a  vast  difference  in 
the  manner  of  Perez  and  of  Linetzki.  While  the 
latter  goes  at  it  in  a  direct  way,  with  club  in  hand,  and 
bluntly  lets  it  fall  on  the  head  of  the  fanatic,  Perez 
has  above  all  in  mind  the  literary  form  in  which  he 
clothes  his  attack,  and  we  get  from  him  an  artistic  story 
which  must  please  even  if  the  thrusts  be  not  relished. 
The  Rabbi  never  appears  in  public  without  his  enormous 
fur-cap,  which  is  really  the  insignia  of  his  office.  In 
this  story  we  find  the  furrier  engaged  in  a  monologue, 
in  which  he  tells  of  his  delight  in  making  the  Rabbi's 
cap.  He  feels  that  it  is  he  who  gives  all  importance  to 
that  dignitary,  for  it  is  the  cap  that  makes  the  Rabbi. 
He  relates  of  the  transformation  of  a  common  mortal 
into  an  awe-inspiring  interpreter  of  God's  will  on  earth. 
No  important  occurrence  in  life,  no  birth,  marriage,  or 
death,  can  take  place  without  the  approval  of  him  who 
wears  that  fur-cap.  It  is  the  cap,  not  the  man,  and  his 
wisdom,  that  sanctions  and  legalizes  his  various  acts. 
Were  it  not  for  the  cap,  it  would  not  be  possible  to  tell 
right  from  wrong.  This  fine  bit  of  sarcasm  is  not  a 
mere  attack  at  the  sect  of  the  Khassidim ;  it  is  also 
meant  as  an  accusation  of  our  wdiole  social  system,  with 
its  conventional  lies.  Perez  does  not  show  by  his 
writings  to  what  particular  party  he  belongs,  but  he 
is  certainly  not  with  the  conservatives.  He  is  wdth 
those  who  advocate  progress  in  its  most  advanced  form. 
He  is  opposed  to  everything  that  means  the  enslave- 
ment of  any  class  of  people.  In  Russia,  where  one 
may  not  express  freely  view^s  which  are  not  in  accord 


212  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

with  the  sentiments  of  the  governing  class,  authors 
have  to  resort  frequently  to  the  form  of  allegory, 
fable,  or  distant  allusion,  instead  of  the  more  direct 
way  of  writers  in  constitutional  countries.  For  these 
reasons  pure  literature  is  generally  something  more 
to  the  Russians  than  mere  artistic  productions.  The 
novel  takes  frequently  the  place  of  a  political  pamphlet, 
of  an  essay  on  social  questions.  The  stories  of  the 
Judeo-German  authors  share  naturally  the  same  fate 
with  those  of  the  Russians,  and,  consequently,  can- 
not be  free  of  'tendencies'  whenever  the  writers  have 
in  mind  the  treatment  of  subjects  which  would  be  dealt 
with  severely  by  the  censor.  Much  of  the  alleged 
obscurity  of  Perez's  writings  is  just  due  to  the  desire 
of  avoiding  the  censor's  blue  pencil,  and  the  more 
dangerous  a  more  direct  approach  becomes,  the  more- 
delicate  must  be  the  allegory.  The  best  of  that  class 
of  literature  is  contained  in  this  volume  in  a  series 
entitled  'Little  Stories  for  Big  Men.' 

The  first  of  these  is  called  '  The  Stagnant  Pool.'  We 
are  introduced  here  to  the  world  of  worms  who  live  in 
the  pool,  who  regard  the  green  scum  as  their  heaven, 
and  pieces  of  eggshells  that  have  fallen  into  it  as 
the  stars  and  the  moon  upon  it.  A  number  of  cows 
stepping  into  the  pool  tear  their  heaven  and  kill  all 
who  are  not  hidden  away  in  the  slime.  Only  one 
worm  survives  to  tell  the  story  of  the  catastrophe,  and 
he  suggests  to  his  fellows  that  that  was  not  the  heaven 
that  was  destroyed,  that  there  is  another  heaven  which 
exists  eternally.  For  this  the  narrator  was  thought  to 
be  insane  and  was  sent  to  an  insane  asylum.  The 
second  sketch,  'The  Sermon  of  the  Lamps,'  in  which 
the  hanging  lamp  instructs  a  small  table  lamp  to 
send  its  flame  heavenwards  and  not  to  flicker  in  anar- 


PROSE   WRITERS   SINCE   1881  213 

chistic  fashion,  is  a  fine  allegoiy  in  which  the  social 
order  of  things  is  criticised.  There  are  altogether  ten 
such  excellent  allegories,  or  fables,  in  the  collection,  all 
of  the  same  value.  Tlie  last  of  Perez's  articles  in  the 
book  is  a  popular  discussion  of  what  constitutes  prop- 
erty ;  it  is  written  in  the  same  style  as  his  scientific 
works  spoken  of  before. 

From  1894  to  1896  Perez  has  been  issuing  small 
pamphlets  of  about  thirty  octavo  pages  at  irregular 
intervals.  They  are  called  '  Holiday  Leaves,'  and  bear 
each  a  special  name  appropriate  for  each  particular 
occasion.  A  certain  part  of  these  pamphlets  has  stories 
and  discussions  to  suit  the  occasions  for  which  they  are 
written,  but  on  the  whole  their  contents  do  not  differ 
from  those  of  his  periodicals.  Here  again  Perez  has 
furnished  most  of  the  matter.  The  other  writers  are 
David  Pinski,  J.  Goido,  Solomon  Grossgliick,  M.  J. 
Freid,  who  also  contributed  to  his  earlier  magazines. 
It  is  evident  that  they  follow  their  master  in  the 
general  manner  of  composition,  though  at  a  respectable 
distance.  Of  these,  Freid  ^  has  written  some  good 
sketclies  of  animal  life.  Plis  '  Mursa '  is  the  story  of  a 
bitch  who  has  given  birth  to  some  puppies  :  — her  love 
for  her  offspring,  her  madness  when  she  finds  her  young 
ones  drowned  and  gone,  and  her  death  by  strangulation. 
'  Red  Caroline,  a  Novel  of  Animal  Life,'  is  a  similar 
story  from  the  life  of  a  cow.  They  are  well  told  and 
display  talent  in  the  author.  Of  the  others,  Pinski  ^ 
deserves  to  be  mentioned  speciall}-,  both  on  account  of 

1  In  Hausfreund,  Vol.  V.  pp.  136-145  ;  Spektor's  Familienkalender, 
Vol.  V.  pp.  45-51 ;  Widerkol,  pp.  5-18  ;  Jiid.  Bibliothek,  Vol.  III.  pp. 
89-94  ;  Literatur  ?<?i'  Lehen,  pp.  89-95  ;  Jonteio-bldttlech,  No.  IG. 

2  In  Hausfreund,  Vol.  III.  pp.  231-241,  265-277  ;  Jlkl.  Bibliothek, 
Vol.  III.  pp.  84-89;  Literatur  un'  Leben,  pp.  23-47,  163.  Jonteic- 
blattlech,  Nos.  1,  3,  20,  22,  24,  29  ;  2d  Series,  Nos.  1,  2,  5. 


214  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

the  quantity  and  the  quality  of  his  work.  Most  of 
his  sketches  do  not  rise  above  the  mediocre,  but  there 
are  several  that  are  as  good  as  those  of  Spektor.  The 
best  of  his  are  those  that  are  entitled  '  The  Oppressed,' 
the  first  of  which  appeared  in  '  Literature  and  Life.'  In 
this  he  tells  of  the  tyranny  exercised  by  a  shopkeeper 
on  his  clerk,  and  of  the  timidity  of  his  wretched  subor- 
dinate, who  merely  ekes  out  an  existence  by  working 
for  him  from  daybreak  until  late  at  night  from  one  end 
of  the  year  to  the  other.  The  brutal  master,  the  cow- 
ardly, downtrodden  clerk,  his  courageous  daughter 
who  urges  her  father  to  leave  the  store  in  spite  of  the 
shopkeeper's  protest,  the  scene  at  home,  where  his  wife 
has  just  given  birth  to  a  child,  where  there  is  no  money 
for  a  fire  or  for  medicine,  —  all  this  is  drawn  dramati- 
cally and  naturally.  Goido  ^  began  to  issue  a  series  of 
stories  in  Wilna,  in  the  manner  of  Perez's  '  Holiday 
Leaves,'  and  they  attracted  Perez's  attention,  who  en- 
couraged him  in  his  literary  career.  Regarding  his 
career  in  America,  we  shall  find  him  more  especially 
mentioned  in  the  next  chapter. 

After  the  financial  failure  of  the  different  magazines 
started  since  1887,  only  Spektor's  Hausfreund  has  been 
able  to  survive  with  some  degree  of  regularity.  The  last 
of  this  series  appeared  in  189G,  after  which  Judeo-Ger- 
man  letters  seem  to  have  been  checked  entirely.  There 
still  appear  publications  by  societies,  but  they  are  all  of 
a  Zionistic  nature.  It  is  hard  to  foretell  what  the  future 
of  this  literature  will  be.  But  having  worked  out  such  a 
variety  of  styles  in  the  last  fifteen  years,  it  can  hardly  fail 
of  presenting  the  same  interesting  features  with  which 

1  In  addition  to  his  own  publications  see  Hausfreund,  Vol.  III.  pp. 
294-304  ;  Jud.  Bibliothek,  Vol.  I.  pp.  90-98  ;  Jontew-bliittlech,  No3. 
7,  8,  18. 


PROSE    WRITERS   SINCE    1881  215 

we  have  just  become  acquainted,  unless,  indeed,  the  in- 
telligent classes  abandon  this  field  for  other  European 
languages  and  turn  it  over  to  the  class  of  writers  who 
have  in  view  the  filling  of  their  pockets  and  not  the 
good  of  the  people.  Then  it  will  revert  to  the  chaos  into 
which  it  was  led  by  Schaikewitsch  and  the  like.  In  any 
case  it  will  reflect  the  conditions  from  without ;  it  will 
flourish  in  proportion  as  the  Jews  are  oppressed  by  the 
government  and  public  opinion ;  it  will  disappear  when 
full  rights  shall  have  been  accorded  them.  The  latter 
are  not  to  be  hoped  for  in  any  appreciably  near  time, 
hence  Judeo-German  letters  will  continue  to  be  an 
anomaly  in  Russia,  in  Galicia,  and  in  Roumania  for 
some  time  to  come. 

Although  this  literature  has  assumed  such  great  pro- 
portions and  has  produced  a  score  or  more  of  good  writ- 
ers, it  has  still  remained  an  unknown  quantity  to  a  large 
number  of  the  better  classes  who  have  not  yet  broken 
entirely  with  their  mother-tongue.  They  continue 
looking  with  disdain  at  the  popular  language  and  thus 
make  it  hard  for  those  who  devote  themselves  to  the 
service  of  the  people  to  produce  the  desired  effect ;  for, 
failing  to  get  the  support  of  those  whose  opinion  might 
weigh  with  the  masses,  the  latter  are  somewhat  indif- 
ferent themselves.  Another  unfortunate  factor  in  the 
development  of  this  literature  is  the  petty  jealousies 
of  many  of  the  writers,  which  have  again  and  again  kept 
them  from  uniting  for  concerted  action.  If  in  spite  of 
all  this  it  has  been  able  to  hold  its  own  and  to  evolve 
to  such  perfection,  it  is  due  to  the  untiring,  self-sacrific- 
ing, noble  efforts  of  Zederbaum,  Spektor,  Rabinowitsch, 
and  Perez.     All  honor  to  these  men ! 


XIV.     PROSE  WRITERS  SINCE  1881:    IN 
AMERICA 

Many  years  before  the  great  immigration  of  the  Jews 
had  begun,  there  was  a  sufficiently  large  community  of 
Russian  Jews  resident  in  New  York  to  support  a  news- 
paper. In  the  seventies  there  existed  there  a  weekly, 
The  JeivisU  G-azette,  and  there  was  at  least  one  book 
store,  that  of  the  firm  of  Kantrowitz,  that  furnished 
the  colony  with  Judeo-German  reading  matter.  The 
centre  of  that  Jewish  quarter  was  then  as  now  on 
Canal  Street,  where  there  Avas  also  the  Jewish  printing 
office  of  M.  Topolowsky,  from  which,  in  1877,  was  issued 
a  small  volume  of  Judeo-German  poetry  by  Jacob  Zwi 
Sobel,  probably  the  first  of  the  kind  in  America.  His 
few  songs  are  all  in  the  style  of  Goldfaden.  One, 
entitled  'The  Polish  Scholar  in  America,'  is  especially 
interesting,  not  from  a  literary  standpoint,  but  from  the 
light  it  throws  on  the  condition  of  the  Jews  before  the 
eighties.  Whether  they  wished  so  or  not,  they  were 
rapidly  being  amalgamated,  on  the  one  side  by  the  Ger- 
man Jews,  on  the  other  by  the  American  people  at 
large.  Many  tried  to  hide  their  nationality,  and  even 
their  religion,  since  the  Russian  Jews  did  not  stand  in 
good  repute  then.  The  vernacular  was  only  used  as 
the  last  resort  by  those  who  had  not  succeeded  in 
acquiring  a  ready  use  of  the  English  language,  and 
its  approach  to  the  literary  German  was  even  greater 
than  that  attempted  by  Dick  at  about  the  same  time  in 
Russia.      However,  English  words  had  begun  to  creep 

216 


PROSE   WRITERS   IN  AMERICA  217 

in  freely  and  to  modify  the  Germanized  dialect.  It  is 
evident  that  the  seeds  of  the  American  Judeo-German, 
as  it  may  now  be  found  in  the  majority  of  works  printed 
in  New  York,  had  been  sown  even  then.  The  proneness 
to  use  a  large  number  of  German  words  is  derived  from 
the  time  when  the  smaller  community  had  been  labor- 
ing to  pass  into  American  Judaism  by  means  of  the 
German  Jewish  congregations. 

Suddenly,  in  1881,  began  the  great  forced  emigration 
of  the  Jews  from  Russia,  and  in  the  same  year  the  main 
stream  of  the  unfortunate  wanderers  commenced  to 
flood  the  city  of  New  York,  and  from  there  to  spread 
over  the  breadth  and  the  length  of  the  United  States. 
At  present  there  are,  probably,  not  less  than  three  hun- 
dred thousand  Russian  Jews  to  be  found  in  New  York 
alone.  The  aspect  of  the  Jewish  colony  was  at  once 
changed.  It  was  thrown  back  into  conditions  resem- 
bling those  in  congested  Russian  cities.  There  came 
misery,  poverty,  and  squalor.  The  struggle  for  exist- 
ence was  even  harder  than  it  had  been  at  home.  They 
had  exchanged  the  tyranny  of  the  autocracy  for  the 
liberty  of  the  republic,  but  they  did  not  at  the  same 
time  better  their  material  well-being.  It  was  then  that 
the  sweat-shop  with  all  its  horrors  had  its  beginning,  or 
at  least  found  its  most  objectionable  development.  And 
they  were  not  all  laborers  who  were  forced  to  tread  the 
sewing-machine,  or  roll  cigars  and  fill  cigarettes.  Many 
of  them  had  seen  better  days  at  home,  some  had  even 
been  students  at  gymnasia  and  at  universities.  With- 
out any  previous  training  in  their  particular  occupa- 
tions, forced  to  do  ten  and  twelve  hours'  work  of  the 
hardest  labor,  they  had  no  time  to  think  of  any  but  the 
most  sordid,  more  immediate  physical  needs.  Some 
indeed   succeeded    in    establishing    themselves   perma- 


218  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

nently,  but  the  majority  groaned  under  a  heavy  yoke. 
Only  by  degrees  did  more  and  more  of  them  issue  from 
the  sweat-shops,  to  take  up  other  occupations  ;  but  few 
of  them  ever  forgot  the  horrors  of  their  first  years  in 
America.  The  whole  course  of  the  Judeo-German 
literature  is  a  reflex,  on  the  one  side,  of  their  sufferings, 
on  the  other,  of  the  greater  liberty,  the  slowly  increas- 
ing well-being. 

With  the  large  immigration  came  also  some  of  the 
literary  men  :  Zunser,  Schaikewitsch,  Seiffert,  Gold- 
faden.  They  at  once  set  about  to  produce  books  with 
the  same  vim  that  they  had  developed  at  home.  But 
the  field  was  not  so  profitable,  and  they  had  to  turn  to 
other  work.  Schaikewitsch  and  Zunser  have  become 
printers  instead  of  writers  of  books,  and  Goldfaden 
gave  up  his  attempt  in  despair  and  returned  finally 
to  Europe.  However,  in  the  short  time  that  they 
have  been  active  in  America,  they  have  succeeded  in 
doing  immeasurable  harm  not  only  to  Jndeo-German 
literature,  but  to  the  people  for  whom  they  wrote  as 
well.  They  have  corrupted  the  language  in  accord 
with  the  forms  which  they  found  in  vogue  among  the 
Jews  who  had  been  here  before  them,  and  tliey  started 
out  to  minister  to  the  sensational  tastes  of  tlie  masses 
who  received  their  nourishment  from  the  lower  English 
press  of  New  York.  The  amount  of  many-volumed  so- 
called  novels  that  they  have  produced  is  simply  appall- 
ing. These  are  mainly  adaptations  of  the  most  sensa- 
tional novels  in  whatsoever  language  they  could  lay  their 
hands  on.  Goldfaden  also  started  The  New  York  Illus- 
trated Grazette,  the  first  of  the  kind  in  Judeo-German, 
but  it  lived  only  a  short  time.  In  spite  of  the  mass  of 
printed  matter  in  the  vernacular,  literature  did  not  pay 
in  America,  and  Goldfaden  left  the  country  in  disgust. 


PROSE    WRITERS   IN   AMERICA  219 

But  the  eiglities  were  not  by  any  means  devoid  of 
interest  and  far-reaching  importance  to  Jewish  letters. 
During  that  time  Judeo-German  journalism  received  its 
fullest  development.  In  Russia  a  daily  press  could  not 
exist  at  all,  and  the  few  weeklies  that  had  been  issued 
from  time  to  time  had  to  move  in  such  closely  circum- 
scribed limits  that  journalism  ever  remained  there  in  its 
infancy.  But  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  the 
first  thing  the  Jews  learned  to  value  and  to  make  free 
use  of  was  the  newspaper.  A  large  number  of  these 
were  started  in  the  first  ten  years  of  the  great  immi- 
gration, but  most  of  them  have  been  of  short  duration. 
In  the  struggle  for  existence  the  oldest  newspaper,  that 
had  had  its  beginning  in  1874,  came  out  victorious. 
It  bought  out  and  consolidated  twenty  Jewish  dailies 
and  weeklies  and  now  appears  in  the  form  of  The 
Jeivish  Gazette,  as  the  representative  of  the  more  con- 
servative faction  of  the  Russian  Jews  of  America.  But 
the  most  active  in  that  field  of  literature  were  those 
who  at  the  end  of  the  eighties  clustered  around  the 
newspapers  that  were  published  in  the  interest  of  the 
JeAvish  laborers.  Of  these  Die  Arheiterzeitung  was 
the  most  prominent. 

A  number  of  causes  united  in  making  the  socialistic 
propaganda  strongest  among  the  Russian  Jews.  They 
had  come  from  a  country  where  all  the  elements  of  oppo- 
sition naturally  gatliered  around  the  political  parties 
that  stood  in  secret  conflict  with  the  Government  and 
also  the  social  order  of  things.  In  America,  they  came 
at  once  in  contact  with  the  sweat-shop  and  similar 
industrial  oppressions,  which  only  sharpened  their  dis- 
like of  the  social  structure.  Intellectually  they  stood 
higher  than  those  of  their  brethren  who  persevered  with 
the  conservatives,  for  they  had  at  least  come  to  think 


220  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

about  their  condition  and  the  affairs  of  the  world,  while 
the  others  clung  to  old  superstitions  and  did  nothing 
to  drag  themselves  out  from  the  slough  of  ignorance  into 
which  they  had  fallen  in  Russia.  At  the  same  time  the 
many  intelligent  men  who  had  been  driven  to  the  United 
States  nearly  all  had  belonged  to  the  opposition  parties 
at  home,  and  it  was  from  them  alone  that  the  masses 
could  be  saved  from  the  clutches  of  the  sensational 
novelists.  This  struggle  between  Schaikewitsch  and  his 
tribe  on  the  one  side  and  the  intelligent  writers  on  the 
other  began  towards  the  end  of  the  last  decade,  and  the 
older  men  are  being  as  surely  driven  to  the  wall  here 
as  they  have  been  in  Russia  by  Rabinowitsch  and  the 
newer  school  of  writers.  These  younger  men  have, 
with  but  one  exception,  been  driven  to  Judeo-German 
letters  as  their  last  resort.  Some  of  them  had  never 
before  published  anything  in  any  language,  and  none  of 
them  had  ever  practised  writing  in  their  vernacular. 
They  all  belonged  to  that  class  of  Jewish  young  men 
who  had  received  their  instruction  in  Russian  schools, 
or  who  had  in  any  way  identified  themselves  completely 
with  their  Gentile  comrades.  They  had  all  reached 
their  school  age  in  the  seventies,  when  everybody  was  as 
eager  to  become  Russianized  as  two  decades  before  their 
parents  had  been  to  oppose  the  new  culture.  Either 
as  belonging  to  the  Jewish  race,  or  because  of  their 
sympathies  with  the  Nihilists,  they  had  to  flee  from  the 
country.  These  form  to  a  great  extent  the  basis  for 
the  Russian  intelligence  in  the  United  States. 

They  brought  with  them  the  idea  of  the  Narodniks, 
which  was  that  their  energies  ought  to  be  devoted  to 
the  uplifting  of  the  masses.  They  could  not  hope  to 
become  in  any  way  iulluential  among  the  native  popu- 
lation   in  the  American    cities.      They,  consequently. 


PROSE  WRITERS  IN  AMERICA  221 

directed  their  attention  to  their  own  race.  One  of  the 
first  to  arrive  in  America  with  the  great  immigra- 
tion, was  Abraham  Cahan.  He  was  born  in  the  year 
1860  in  Podberezhe,  in  the  government  of  Wilna.  His 
early  years  had  been  passed  in  a  Jewish  school  perfect- 
ing himself  in  Jewish  lore.  At  the  age  of  fourteen  he 
entered  the  Hebrew  Teachers'  Institute  at  Wilna,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1881.  He  was  appointed  a 
teacher  in  a  government  school  in  a  small  town  in  the 
province  of  Witebsk,  but  he  had  soon  to  flee,  having 
been  discovered  by  the  police  as  a  participant  in  the 
nihilistic  movement.  The  next  year  he  arrived  in 
New  York  penniless.  He  had  a  hard  struggle  for  three 
or  four  years.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  active  as 
the  founder  of  several  excellent  Judeo-German  periodi- 
cals, as  a  writer  in  the  dialect  himself,  as  a  contrib- 
utor to  the  English  press,  and,  finall}^  as  a  writer  of 
English  books.  Of  the  latter,  '  Yekl '  was  published  a 
short  time  ago  by  Appleton  &  Co.,  and  '  The  Imported 
Bridegroom  and  Other  Stories,'  by  Houghton,  Mifflin 
&  Co.  He  has  also  contributed  to  the  Cosmopolitan, 
Short  Stories,  and  the  Atlantic  Monthly/. 

His  Judeo-German  activity  began  with  the  founda- 
tion of  the  Arheiterzeitung,  devoted  to  the  interest  of 
socialism  and  enlightenment  among  the  Jewish  masses. 
To  this  gazette  he  contributed  largely.  Most  of  his 
articles  are  popularizations  of  sciences,  but  he  has  also 
written  several  books  of  stories,  mostly  from  the  life  of 
the  New  York  Ghetto.  Like  his  English  stories,  they 
are  composed  in  a  good  literary  style,  and  present  vivid 
pictures  of  Jewish  life  as  it  is  modified  under  American 
conditions.  It  may  be  safely  asserted  that  his  English 
sketches  are  conceived  by  him  first  in  the  Judeo-Ger- 
man, after  Avhich   they  are  adapted  for  an  American 


222  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

public.  While  showing  great  merit,  it  cannot  be  said 
of  his  novels  that  they  equal  those  of  the  writers  in 
Russia.  In  fact,  there  has  not  arisen  in  America  any 
author  who  has  shown  the  same  degree  of  originality 
as  those  of  the  mother-country,  even  though  they  fre- 
quently surpass  them  in  regularity  of  structure,  and  in 
the  fund  of  information  they  possess.  Among  the  large 
number  of  writers  in  New  York  who  have  contributed 
to  the  literature,  it  can  hardly  be  said  that  any  indi- 
vidual style  has  been  developed.  They  resemble  each 
other  very  much,  both  in  the  manner  of  their  composi- 
tions, and  the  subjects  they  treat.  Nor  could  it  be 
otherwise.  They  nearly  all  are  busy  popularizing  sci- 
ence in  one  way  or  other,  or  they  write  novels  from  the 
life  of  the  Jewish  community,  which,  in  the  less  than 
two  decades  of  its  existence,  has  not  developed,  as 
yet,  many  new  characteristics.  They  imitate  Russian 
models  for  their  stories  and  novels,  mainly  Chekhov. 
They  are  all  of  them  realists,  and  some  have  carried 
their  realism  to  the  utmost  extent. 

One  of  the  most  fruitful  popularizers  of  science  has 
been  Abner  Tannenbaum.  His  works  have  all  the 
merit  of  being  based  on  real  facts,  though  these  are 
presented  in  the  attractive  form  of  novels,  whether 
original  or  translated.  He  is  now  exerting  an  in€u- 
ence  also  on  the  Jews  of  Russia,  where  his  works  are 
much  valued.  He  was  born  in  1847,  and,  up  to  the 
year  1889,  was  a  wholesale  druggist.  In  that  year  he 
arrived  in  America,  and,  for  the  first  time,  began  writ- 
ing in  the  vernacular.  At  first,  he  translated  novels 
from  German  and  French,  especiall}^  the  works  of  Jules 
Verne.  Later,  he  wrote  some  novels  after  the  fashion 
of  the  German  pedagogue,  J.  H.  Campe,  in  his  works 
'  Robinson  the  Younger  '  and  '  The  Discovery  of  Amer- 


PROSE   WRITERS   IN   AMERICA  223 

ica.'  Since  1893,  he  has  been  a  permanent  contributor 
to  The  Jewish  Gazette,  where  he  has  been  writing  and 
popularizing  encyclopedic  items. 

The  early  history  of  J.  Rombro,  who  is  writing  under 
the  pseudonym  of  Philip  Krantz,  does  not  differ  much 
from  that  of  Abraham  Cahan,  with  whom  he  has  been 
active  in  the  publication  of  the  same  periodicals.  He 
had  to  flee  from  Russia  about  the  same  time.  He  went 
to  London  and  Paris,  from  which  place  he  contributed 
to  various  Russian  magazines.  In  London  he  met  Win- 
chevsky,  who,  at  that  time,  had  been  editing  a  Judeo- 
German  newspajDer,  The  Polish  Jew.  He  was  asked  by 
him  to  write  a  description  of  the  riots  against  the  Jews. 
"  It  was  a  hard  job  for  me,"  so  writes  the  author,  "  and 
it  took  me  a  long  time  to  do  it.  I  never  thought  of 
writing  in  the  Jewish  Jargon,  but  fate  ordered  other- 
wise, and,  contrary  to  all  my  aspirations,  I  am  now 
nothing  more  than  a  poor  Jargon  journalist."  The 
author's  evil  plight  has,  however,  been  the  people's 
gain,  for  to  his  untiring  activity  is  due  no  small  amount 
of  the  enlightenment  that  they  have  received  in  the 
last  ten  years.  In  1885  he  was  invited  by  a  group  of 
Hebrew  workingmen,  rather  anarchistic  than  social- 
democratic,  to  edit  a  socialistic  monthly.  The  Workers' 
Friend.  Against  his  will,  for  he  was  a  social-democrat, 
he  accepted  the  offer.  This  monthly  became  the  next 
year  a  weekly.  Later,  he  translated  Lassale's  '  Work- 
ingmen's  Program '  into  Judeo-German.  About  that 
time,  in  1890,  he  was  invited  by  the  Jewish  socialists 
of  New  York  to  come  to  the  United  States  and  edit  a 
strictly  social-democratic  paper.  He  gladly  accepted 
this  invitation,  and  March  6,  1890,  the  first  number  of 
the  Arheite?'zeitung  was  issued  ;  since  1894  it  has  been 
appearing  under  the  name  of  the  Ahend-Blatt  as  a  daily, 


224  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

and  it  is  now  the  official  Jewish  organ  of  the  socialist 
labor  party.  He  was  also  the  first  editor  of  the  Zukunft, 
started  by  the  Jewish  socialist  sections  of  the  United 
States  in  1892.  Now  he  is  contributing  to  the  month- 
lies Neuer  Geist  and  Neue  Zeit.  His  articles  are  all 
characterized  by  great  earnestness,  and  by  a  good  flow- 
ing style.  He  is  far  from  being  a  blind  partisan,  and 
he  knows  how  to  treat  impartially  questions  of  a  general 
import. 

The  nineties  have  passed  in  the  United  States  in  the 
often -repeated  attempt  to  establish  permanent  Judeo- 
German  magazines.  There  have  been  a  large  number  of 
them  in  existence,  and  one  after  the  other  has  met  with 
financial  failure.  Now,  however,  there  are  several  that 
promise  to  last  a  longer  time.  Never  before  has  the 
periodical  press  in  Judeo-German  been  brought  to  such 
a  perfection  as  regards  its  outward  form  and  the  vari- 
ety of  subjects  that  it  has  incorporated  in  its  pages. 
The  first  of  the  kind  was  the  Zukunft  just  men- 
tioned. It  lasted  until  the  year  1897,  Avhen  it  gave 
way  to  the  Neue  Zeit^  which  is  practically  a  contin- 
uation of  the  first.  It  differs  little  from  similar  popu- 
lar science  magazines  in  other  languages.  We  find  in 
it  such  articles  as.  What  is  Socialism?  Philosophy 
and  Revolution;  A  Dog's  Brain,  by  John  Lubbock  ; 
Shakespeare,  his  Life  and  his  Works  ;  Pasteur  and  his 
Discoveries ;  and  similar  scientific  articles.  To  these 
must  be  added  many  literary  articles,  stories,  poems, 
reviews,  and  the  like.  Among  the  several  good  con- 
tributors of  tlie  latter  class  of  literature  we  shall  dwell 
at  a  greater  length  on  B.  Gorin  and  Leon  Kobrin. 

B.  Gorin  is  the  pseudonym  of  J.  Goido,  of  whose 
activity  in  Russia  we  have  spoken  before.  After  the 
failure  of  his  undertaking  in  Wilna,  mainly  tln-ougli  the 


PROSE  WRITERS  IN  AMERICA  225 

interference  of  the  censor,  who  delayed  his  publication 
in  every  possible  way,  he  went  to  Berlin  to  attend  lec- 
tures at  the  University.  He  soon  went  to  America, 
where  shortly  after,  in  1895,  he  became  the  editor  of  a 
Philadelphia  Judeo-German  newspaper.  From  there 
he  went  to  New  York,  where  he  published  the  'Jew- 
ish American  Popular  Library,'  a  collection  of  short 
stories  in  the  manner  of  his  Wilna  edition;  but  its  life 
was  cut  short  after  the  seventh  number.  He  has  since 
been  the  editor  of  the  Neuer  Geist.  The  most  of  his 
sketches  were  published  in  the  Arheiterzeitung  and  in 
the  Ahend-Blatt,  when  it  was  still  edited  by  A.  Cahan. 
At  first  he  confined  himself  exclusively  to  short  sketches 
in  the  style  of  the  Russian  writer,  Shchedrin,  but  soon 
he  followed  the  example  of  all  of  those  who  have  writ- 
ten in  America,  and  has  translated  foreign  authors,  has 
written  reviews,  and  popularized  science.  In  Russia  he 
had  begun  the  translation  of  '  David  Copperfield.'  In 
America  he  has  translated  Chekhov,  and  has  in  one  way 
or  other  introduced  the  Russian  Jews  to  the  works  of 
Daudet,  Maupassant,  Sienkiewicz,  Korolenko,  Dosto- 
yevski,  Bourget,  Garshin,  Potapenko,  and  many  German 
and  English  novelists. 

One  of  the  most  original  writers  of  the  realistic 
school  in  the  manner  of  the  Russian  Chekhov  is  Leon 
Kobrin.  He  has  lately  started  the  publication  of  a 
'  Realistic  Library,'  of  which  the  first  number  so  far 
issued  contains  several  sketches  that  have  been  written 
by  him  in  the  last  two  years.  One  of  the  best  in  that 
volume  is  the  first,  '  Jankel  Boile,'  a  story  from  the  life 
of  Jewish  fishermen.  One  is  rather  inclined  to  doubt 
that  his  Jewish  characters  really  exist  as  he  has  de- 
picted them  ;  it  almost  seems  as  if  they  were  a  transfer- 
ence of  Russian  men  to  Jewish  surroundings,  for  they 


226  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

seem  to  do  things  that  are  not  met  with  as  peculiarities 
of  the  Jews  in  the  many  novels  by  Judeo-German  writ- 
ers. But  it  may  be  that  he  speaks  from  intimate 
acquaintance  with  a  class  of  people  that  is  not  generally 
accessible  to  the  average  writer.  Barring  this,  the 
story  is  very  vividly  told.  It  is  a  sketch  of  a  Jewish 
boy  who  has  grown  up  with  the  village  boys,  and  who 
has  but  the  faintest  idea  of  his  Jewish  faith.  He  falls 
in  love  with  one  of  the  peasant  girls  of  his  acquaintance, 
whom  he  courts,  and  for  whom  he  is  about  to  give  up 
the  faith  of  his  fathers.  In  the  last  moment,  when  out 
in  the  night  on  a  fishing  tour  on  the  stormy  lake,  he  is 
caught  with  remorse  at  his  impending  apostasy,  and  he 
commits  suicide  by  jumping  in  the  lake.  This  is  but  a 
bare  outline  of  a  most  excellently  developed  story,  in 
which  realism  has  been  carried  to  a  ne  phis  ultra.  His 
portrayal  of  the  lower  classes  with  their  indomitable 
passions  reminds  one  very  much  of  the  remarkable 
sketches  of  the  Russian  Gorki. 

At  this  juncture  mention  must  be  made  of  the  many 
short  sketches  by  Gurewitsch,  who  writes  under  the 
pseudonym  of  Z.  Libin.  They  belong  among  the  best 
Ghetto  stories  that  have  been  written  in  New  York, 
and  they  display  undoubted  talent.  Cahan,  Goido, 
Kobrin,  and  Libin  are  all  young  men  yet,  and  from 
them  alone  a  regeneration  of  the  Jewish  novel  may  be 
expected. 

In  1893  Krantz  and  Sharkansky  started  a  monthly 
magazine.  The  City  Guide.,  but  only  two  numbers  of 
it  appeared.  Two  years  later  Winchevsky  began  issu- 
ing in  Boston  The  Umeth,  a  weekly  family  paper  for 
literature  and  culture.  It  is  a  pity  it  was  stojjped 
before  the  year  was  out,  for  of  all  the  magazines  that 
have  seen  daylight  in  America,  it  Avas  by  far  the  most 


PROSE   WRITERS   IN   AMERICA  227 

ably  edited.  Among  his  contributors  of  belles  lettres 
we  find  the  names  of  the  authors  just  mentioned,  and 
also  several  others.  Nearly  everything  else  is  from  the 
pen  of  the  editor.  While  in  many  of  the  leaders  his 
socialistic  bias  is  pronounced,  yet  most  of  his  articles 
deal  with  subjects  of  a  general  interest.  Of  his  poetry 
we  have  spoken  before.  His  prose  style  is  even  better. 
It  is  smooth,  idiomatic,  and  carefully  balanced.  He  is 
one  of  the  few  authors  who  bestow  great  care  on  a  good 
Judeo-German  style,  and  file  and  finish  it.  Most  inter- 
esting are  his  epigrams  and  philosophical  reflections, 
and  his  satirical  sketches,  which  he  generally  ascribes 
to  the  'Insane  Philosopher.'  Winchevsky  has  been 
very  productive.  Outside  of  his  many  original  stories 
and  sketches,  his  poetry,  and  sociological  articles,  he 
has  translated  a  number  of  works,  among  others  the 
Russian  Korolenko  and  Victor  Hugo's  '  Les  Miserables. ' 
His  translations  are  the  very  best  in  the  Judeo-Ger- 
man language.  Few  have  equalled  him  in  the  art  of 
translation.  The  distinguishing  characteristics  of  all 
his  productions  are  dignity  and  refinement.  Although 
he  frequently  depicts  Jewish  life,  the  Jew  is  but  an 
accident  of  his  themes,  for  he  has  ever  in  mind  the 
social  questions  at  large,  as  they  affect  the  whole  world. 
The  year  before  Schaikewitsch  began  the  publication 
of  the  Hehreiv  Puck  in  imitation  of  the  English 
Puck.  Being  of  a  humorous  nature,  that  magazine 
does  not  show  the  glaring  defects  of  his  other  works 
to  any  great  extent.  In  the  same  year  Alexander 
Harkavy  started  The  American  People's  Calendar, 
which  in  addition  to  the  matter  that  more  strictly 
belongs  to  an  almanac  contains  also  several  useful  arti- 
cles of  a  literary  value.  Harkavy  has  developed  an 
untiring  activity  in  the  publication  of  books  by  which 


228  YIDDISH    LITERATURE 

his  countrymen  should  be  introduced  to  the  English 
language  and  to  a  right  understanding  of  American 
citizenship.  He  has  written  all  kinds  of  text-books,  has 
translated  the  Constitution  and  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  and  published  The  Hehreiv  American^ 
an  English  weekly  with  footnotes  in  Judeo-German. 
He  has  also  written  a  large  number  of  popular  articles 
on  linguistic  subjects.  Many  of  these  contain  valuable 
matter,  but  it  is  often  difficult  to  disentangle  the  facts 
from  his  personal  speculations,  which  are  not  always 
based  on  scientific  truths.  He  lacks  training,  and  his 
style  is  otherwise  colorless.  But  for  all  that,  his  deserts 
in  the  education  of  the  Russian  Jews  of  New  York 
must  not  be  undervalued.  Of  his  translations  we  might 
also  mention  the  'Don  Quixote,'  of  which  so  far  only 
the  first  part  has  appeared  in  Judeo-German.  Among 
the  writers  of  historical  essays,  the  most  promising  is 
the  Roumanian,  D.  M.  Hermalin,  whose  'Mohammed' 
and  '  Jesus  the  Nazarene  '  are  not  only  fair  and  unbiassed 
statements  of  the  foreign  religious  teachings,  but  also 
belong  among  the  very  few  books  in  Judeo-German  that 
are  supplied  with  a  critical  apparatus. 

The  best  magazine  now  in  existence  is  the  Neuer 
Creist,  of  which  the  first  seven  numbers  were  edited  by 
Harkavy,  but  which  now  appears  under  the  editorship  of 
Gorin.  It  is  a  periodical  of  science,  literature,  and  art, 
and  has  no  special  political  bias.  We  find  here  the 
same  contributors  as  in  former  monthlies.  To  those 
mentioned  before  may  be  added  the  names  of  Budianov, 
Feigenbaum,  and  Solotkov,  who  have  written  many  good 
articles  on  sociological  and  philosophical  matters,  and 
Katz,  who  is  an  astute  critic.  Here  has  also  appeared 
the  best  translation  in  verse  of  one  of  Shakespeare's 
dramas,    'The   Merchant  of  Venice,'  from  the  pen  of 


PROSE    WRITERS   IN   AMERICA  229 

the  poet  Bovchover.  Another,  smaller  magazine,  Die 
Zeit}  is  published  by  the  Hebrew  poet  M.  M.  Dolizki. 
Another  well-conducted  monthly  is  the  Neue  Zeit,  issued 
by  the  Jewish-speaking  sections  of  the  Socialist  Labor 
Party  of  the  United  States.  There  is  no  material  dif- 
ference in  the  composition  of  the  contributors'  staff. 
A  few  more  names  might  be  added  to  the  list  of  men 
who  have  been  active  in  spreading  information  among 
the  Russian  Jews,  such  as  Feigenbaum,  Wiernik,  Bu- 
kanski.  Seiffert  has  written  some  interesting  accounts 
of  the  Jewish  stage  in  America,  but  his  language  is  of 
the  order  of  Dick  or  even  worse  ;  Rosenfeld  and  Shar- 
kansky  have  at  various  times  produced  some  sketches 
and  even  dramas,  but  they  are  more  strictly  poets,  as 
which  alone  they  will  survive. 

The  time  is  not  far  away  when  there  will  not  be  a 
Judeo-German  press  in  America.  The  younger  gen- 
eration never  looks  inside  of  a  Jewish  paper  now,  and 
the  next  following  generation  will  no  longer  speak  the 
dialect,  unless  something  unforeseen  happens  by  which 
the  existence  of  that  anomaly  shall  be  made  possible. 
Already  The  Jeioish  Gazette,  taking  time  by  the  fore- 
lock, has  begun  issuing  an  English  supplement  to  its 
Judeo-German  weekly.  It  wants  to  secure  its  lease  of 
life  by  passing  over  by  successive  steps  to  a  periodical 
published  entirely  in  English,  without  a  violent  loss  of 
its  subscribers.  Several  of  the  intelligent  writers  in 
the  vernacular  are  at  the  same  time  contributing  to  the 
English  press,  while  some  have  entirely  abandoned  their 
Judeo-German.  In  the  meanwhile  that  literature  is 
developing  a  feverish  activity.  From  its  ashes  will 
rise  new  forces  in  the  English  literature  of  America 

^  Since  writing  this,  botli  the  Xeuer  Geist  and  Die  Zeit  have  ceased 
appearing. 


230  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

that  will  add  no  small  mite  to  its  pages.  In  the  short 
time  of  the  existence  of  the  Judeo-German  in  America, 
it  has  passed  through  three  distinct  stages  :  the  first 
"was  the  era  of  the  sensational  novel  ;  then  followed  the 
socialistic  propaganda,  coupled  with  the  evolution  of 
the  press,  but  particularly  the  magazine.  Now,  without 
abandoning  entirely  the  social  and  political  ideals,  the 
writers  are  combining  to  popularize  science  and  to  pro- 
duce a  pure  literature.  The  latter  is  more  or  less  under 
the  sway  of  the  Russian  writers  Chekhov,  Korolenko, 
and  Garshin.  What  Russia  has  done  for  the  Jews  in 
the  seventies  is  reaped  by  the  masses  in  the  nineties 
in  America. 


XV.     THE   JEWISH   THEATRE 

In  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century  two  plays 
written  in  Judeo-German  appeared  in  print,  '  The  Sale 
of  Joseph'  and  the  '  Ahasuerus-play.'  ^  They  were  in- 
tended for  scenic  representation  on  the  feast  of  Purim, 
which  even  before  that  time  had  been  given  to  mimic 
performances.  These  mysteries,  together  with  another 
written  at  about  the  same  time,  '  David  and  Goliath,' 
have  held  uninterrupted  sway  up  to  our  own  time  wher- 
ever the  Jargon  has  been  spoken.  Schudt  has  left  us  in 
his  '  Jiidische  Merkwiirdigkeiten '  ^  a  detailed  account 
of  the  popularity  of  one  of  these  plays  from  the  start, 
of  the  manner  of  its  performance  at  the  house  of  the 
Rabbi  of  jNJannheim,  of  the  formation  of  the  first  trav- 
elling company  for  the  execution  of  the  drama  at  other 
towns,  and  many  other  interesting  facts  connected  with 
it.  These  mysteries  differ  little  from  the  coarse  come- 
dies and  burlesques  current  at  the  time  among  the  Gen- 
tiles, from  whom,  no  doubt,  many  of  the  details  were 
borrowed.  Soon  many  imitations  of  the  original '  Ahas- 
uerus-play '  ^  and  '  The  Sale  of  Joseph '  came  to  rival 

1  For  the  bibliography  of  the  older  plays  see  Steinschneider,  in  the 
Serapeum  (1848,  '49,  '64,  '66,  '69):  Ahasuerus,  Nos.  11  a,  387  ;  Pnrim- 
pUnj,  No.  417  ;  Acta  Esther  (Ahas.),  No.  17  (cf.  Litteraturhlatt  des 
Orients,  1843,  p.  59,  and  JUd.  Litteratur,  in  Ersch  nnd  Gruber,  §  XX. 
Annierkung  3(5);  Action  von  K'onig  David  und  Goliath  dem  Philister, 
No.  18 ;  Mechiras  Josef,  No.  146.  On  the  ancient  theatre,  see  Abra- 
hams, Jewish  Life,  pp.  260-272. 

2  pp.  36  ff. 

3  Part  of  the  Ahasiterus-plai/,  as  given  at  present  on  the  day  of 
Puriiu,  may  be  found  in  Abramowitscli's  Prizyio,  pp.  62-G5. 

231 


232  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

the  older  plays  in  popularity.  Of  the  first  a  form  is 
known  to  me  in  'which  tlie  Leckerlaufer  is  substituted 
for  the  original  Pickleherring,  the  grotesque  harlequin, 
while  of  the  second  I  possess  at  least  two  widely  differ- 
ent versions,  not  to  speak  of  Zunser's  large  drama  of  the 
same  subject.  Altogether,  this  matter  has  not,  as  far 
as  I  know,  been  properly  investigated,  so  that  little  can 
be  said  with  certainty  about  the  relations  that  they 
bear  to  each  other.  '  The  Sale  of  Joseph,'  or  '  The 
Greatness  of  Joseph,'  as  it  is  frequently  called,  was 
translated  at  the  end  of  the  last  or  the  beginning  of 
this  century  into  Judeo- German  by  Elieser  Paw^ier  from 
the  orio-inal  Hebrew  under  the  title  '  Milchomo  be-Scho- 
lom.'  It  is  a  much  more  serious  production  than  the 
older  work,  and  this,  rather  than  the  one  printed  in 
1710,  has  lain  at  the  foundation  of  future  adaptations. 
At  least  one,  the  versified  drama  under  the  name  of 
'  Geschichte  vun  Mechiras  Jossef  u-Gdulas  Jossef,' 
published  in  1876  in  Jusefov,  distinctly  claims  to  be  a 
translation  from  the  same  Hebrew  source.  How  many 
such  plays  have  been  actually  performed  it  is  not  possi- 
ble to  determine  now  without  a  more  careful  inquiry 
among  older  men  in  various  parts  of  Russia.  There 
have  just  come  to  light  a  number  of  mysteries  once 
popular  in  the  Government  of  Kowno,  while  some  have 
been  printed  within  our  own  days.  Such,  for  example, 
is  '  The  Book  of  the  Wisdom  of  Solomon,'  which  is 
based  on  the  Biblical  story  of  Solomon's  life,  but  which 
contains  also  Talmudical  commentaries  on  certain  facts 
connected  with  his  reign.  The  latest,  and  b}-  far  the 
best,  drama  on  tlie  '  Sale  of  Joseph '  comes  from  the 
pen  of  Zunser,  who  not  only  has  given  it  a  literary  finish, 
but  has  perused  all  the  sources  that  throw  any  liglit  on 
several  difficult  points  connected  A\itli  the  play,  and  has 


THE   JEWISH  THEATRE  233 

furnished  in  some  perplexing  problems  solutions  of  his 
own,  so  as  to  make  the  whole  uniform  and  historically 
correct.  In  his  introduction  he  mentions  a  few  im- 
portant facts  about  the  popularity  of  the  subject,  and 
the  manner  of  its  performance,  or  recitation.  He 
says :  "  No  other  story  from  our  Holy  Scripture  has 
made  such  an  impression  or  has  become  so  known  to 
the  masses  of  the  Jews  as  the  '  Sale  of  Joseph.'  .  .  . 
As  far  back  as  we  can  remember  it  has  been  played 
among  us  by  beggar-students,  or  by  the  old-fashioned 
badchens  at  weddings." 

It  is  not  uncommon  to  see  a  performance  of  this 
play  given  at  the  present  time  in  some  small  town. 
The  actors  are  generally  the  beggar-students  who 
have  to  play  both  the  male  and  female  parts,  as  no 
women  are  allowed  to  perform  together  with  the  men. 
Some  large  unoccupied  room  is  furnished  with  benches 
on  which  the  sexes  are  generally  seated  separately. 
The  stage  is  of  the  most  primitive  character,  without 
decorations  of  any  kind  ;  and  the  actors  like  to  parade 
in  fantastic  clothes  which  have  nothing  in  common  with 
the  historical  truth.  Either  the  whole  of  the  play,  or 
at  least  certain  passages  are  sung  according  to  tradi- 
tional tunes.*  In  the  '  Sale  of  Joseph '  it  is  always  the 
monologue  of  Joseph  before  his  mother's  grave  upon 
which  the  greatest  care  is  bestowed,  as  it  is  the  most 
pathetic  part  of  the  drama.  It  is  probably  the  proto- 
type of  M.  Gordon's  ballad  of  '  The  Stepmother '  and 
similar  popular  versions,  for  in  them,  as  in  Gordon's 
version,  Joseph's  mother  sends  up  her  consoling  words 
to  her  son  from  her  grave.  An  excellent  description 
of  such  a  performance  is  given  in  Dienesohn's  '  Her- 
schele,'  ^  where  the  hero  of  the  novel  plays  the  part  of 

Joseph. 

1  Cf.  Dienesohn,  Ilerschele,  pp.  47  ft. 


234  YIDDISH   LITERATUhE 

These  mysteries  are  not  the  only  form  of  histrionic 
art.  On  the  Purim,  many  masqueraders  may  be  seen 
passing  from  house  to  house,  followed  by  a  curious 
crowd  of  children,  anxious  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the 
strange  mummery  of  men  and  impossible  animals. 
In  some  places  the  children  and  even  grown  persons 
manage  to  enter  the  house  either  by  sheer  force, 
or  under  the  proverbial  pretext  that  they  are  the 
"bear's  brother."  The  actors  begin  in  a  chanting 
way :  "  Good  evening,  my  good  people,  do  you  know 
Avhat  Purim  means?"  after  which  they  proceed  with 
the  explanation  and  the  performance  of  some  grotesque 
scene.  Each  group  has  its  own  Purim  play,  which  is 
generally  some  unrecognizable  fragment  of  the  '  Ahasue- 
rus-play,'  but  frequently  also  some  original  production 
which  is  jealously  guarded  from  being  imitated  by 
rival  boy  performers.  There  is  no  merit  in  them,  but 
an  investigation  even  of  this  form  of  the  Purim  play 
might  bring  out  some  interesting  points  or  bits  of 
antiquity.  The  length  of  the  burlesque  is  graded 
according  to  the  expectation  of  the  final  monetary 
reward,  to  which  they  allude  with  the  stereotyped 
phrase :  "  The  play  is  out,  give  us  a  coin,  and  throw 
us  out  of  doors  !  "  ^ 

The  possibility  is  not  excluded  that  in  addition  to 
this  semi-religious  form  of  the  drama,  there  may  also 
have  been  given  performances  of  profane  plays  at  an 
early  date  in  Russia.  It  is  not  known  whether  any  of 
the  dramas  written  by  Aksenfeld,  Gottlober,  or  Ettin- 
ger  have  been  played  by  amateur  actors,  but  we  have 
at  least  one  well-attested  case  of  a  performance  of  that 
kind    in    1855,  —  twenty   years    before    the    establish- 

1  Cf.  Abrainowitsch,  Prizyv^  p.  64  :  "  Heunt  is'  Purim  un'  morgen 
is'  aus,  Gi't  mir  a  Groaclieu  uii'  stupt  luich  araus  !  " 


THE   JEWISH   THEATRE  235 

ment  of  the  Judeo-German  theatre  by  Goldfaden.  In 
that  year  the  students  of  the  Zhitomir  Rabbinical 
scliool  celebrated  the  coronation  of  Emperor  Alexander 
II.  by  a  play  in  which  the  life  of  the  Jewish  soldier  and 
the  kahal  were  depicted.  This  drama  is  said  to  have 
been  written  by  one  Kamrasch,  but  never  to  have  been 
printed.  It  is  also  asserted  that  it  served  as  the  first 
impulse  to  Goldfaden  to  create  a  Jewish  theatre,  which, 
however,  he  realized  only  much  later. 

There  existed  a  dramatic  literature  long  before  Gold- 
faden. We  have  had  occasion  to  mention  the  works  of 
Ettinger,  Aksenfeld,  Gottlober,  Abramowitsch,  Falko- 
witscli,  Levinsohn,  Epstein.  After  the  popular  poetry  a 
semi-dramatic  style  was  better  calculated  to  impress  the 
people  with  the  new  culture  than  simple  prose,  which 
at  that  time  had  not  been  well  worked  out.  Nearly  all 
of  the  prose  style  of  the  early  days  is  more  or  less 
affected  by  the  drama,  and  even  Abramowitsch  has  not 
entirely  got  away  from  it.  Nearly  all  of  his  stories  are 
introduced  by  the  stereotyped  words :  "  Says  INIendele 
Mocher  Sforim,"  and  there  are  other  similar  dramatic 
effects  scattered  through  them.  This,  which  is  an  imi- 
tation of  Hebrew  originals,  has  also  been  the  usual  way 
of  introduction  ^vith  other  Judeo-German  writers  of  the 
early  days.  The  drama  of  Ettinger  is  entirely  con- 
structed after  the  manner  of  a  German  play,  has  five 
acts,  and  the  laws  of  dramaturgy  are  carefully  carried 
out.  It  really  looks  as  though  he  had  intended  it  for 
the  stage.  In  Aksenfeld  the  adaptation  to  the  stage  is 
less  apparent,  while  the  others  do  not  seem  to  have  had 
the  performance  of  their  plays  in  mind  at  all.  What  is 
surprising  is  that  Aksenfeld  and  Gottlober  should  have 
introduced  in  their  dramas  a  number  of  couplets  and 
songs  which  have  no  meaning  unless  they  were  meant 


236  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

to  be  sung  by  the  actors.  Possibly  they  followed  the 
precedent  of  familiar  German  plays  even  in  this  particu- 
lar, without  any  other  purpose  before  them  ;  or  it  may 
be  that  they  foresaw  the  possibility  of  their  future  repre- 
sentation and  thought  it  best  to  imitate  the  Purim  plays, 
which  had  always  some  songs  intermingled  with  the 
spoken  dialogue  of  the  actors. 

In  1872  Goldfaden  published  two  of  his  comedies. ^ 
The  first,  '  The  Two  Neighbors,'  is  a  splendid  farce, 
in  which  two  women  are  discussing  the  prospective 
marriage  of  their  two  babies  playing  on  the  floor. 
The  children  get  to  fighting,  and  one  of  them  is  hurt. 
This  changes  the  tone  of  their  mothers,  and  they  heap 
curses  on  each  other  in  the  vilest  manner.  The  other, 
'  Aunt  Sosie,'  is  the  best  he  has  ever  written.  We  do 
not  find  in  it  the  rant  of  his  later  dramas,  and  the 
subject  is  taken  strictly  from  Jewish  life.  Aunt  Sosie 
is  a  woman  of  the  type  of  Serkele.  She  is  anxious  to 
get  her  sister  married,  and  maltreats  her  husband's 
niece.  Her  husband  is  under  her  thumb.  By  the  aid 
of  his  friend  Ispanski  he  manages  to  cheat  his  wife  and 
to  get  his  niece  married  to  his  wife's  brother.  Sosie  is 
about  to  marry  her  sister  to  a  Lithuanian  Jew,  a  cloak- 
maker,  who  is  already  married  to  another  woman.  His 
lawful  wife  comes  in  time  to  prevent  the  bigamy  of  her 
husband.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  the  whole  is  a  close 
imitation  of  Ettinger's  comedy. 

During  the  Turco-Russian  War,  in  1876  and  1877, 
the  city  of  Bukarest  in  Roumania  presented  a  lively 
spectacle.  It  was  the  seat  of  the  Russian  staff,  and  all 
the  news  from  tlie  field  of  war  was  carried  there,  and 
all  the  contracts  for  the  commissariat  were  let  there. 
The  city  swarmed  with  Jews  from  Russia  and  Galicia, 
1  111  Die  J'udene,  q.v. 


THE   JEWISH   THEATRE  237 

who  had  come  there  to  find,  in  one  way  or  another, 
some  means  to  earn  a  fortune.  Bukarest  became  a 
Mecca  of  all  those  who  did  not  succeed  at  home.  And, 
indeed,  as  long  as  the  war  lasted  most  of  them  managed 
to  fill  their  pockets.  With  the  easily  gotten  gains 
there  came  also  a  desire  to  be  amused,  and  coffee-houses 
were  crowded  by  Jews  who  came  to  them  to  listen  to 
the  songs  of  some  local  ballad  singer.  It  was  also  not 
uncommon  for  such  singers  to  give  performances  of  their 
art  in  private  houses  to  assembled  guests.  Goldfaden 
had  also  come  there  in  the  hope  of  bettering  his  condi- 
tion. It  occurred  to  him  that  he  might  widen  the 
activity  of  the  balladists  by  uniting  several  of  them 
into  a  company  for  the  sake  of  theatrical  performances. 
This  he  did  at  once.  Bearing  in  mind  the  fact  that 
Jews  had  not  been  used  to  the  regular  drama,  but  that 
they  were  fond  of  music,  he  wrote  hurriedly  half  a 
dozen  light  burlesques,  mostly  imitations  of  French 
originals,  in  which  the  songs  written  and  set  to  music 
by  him  were  the  most  important  thing.  There  is  no 
other  merit  whatsoever  in  the  plays,  as  their  Jewish 
setting  is  merely  such  in  name,  and  as  otherwise  the 
plot  is  too  trivial.  1  But  the  songs  have  survived  in  the 
form  of  popular  ballads.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that 
this  first  Roumanian  troupe  consisted  exclusively  of 
men,  who  had  also  to  take  the  women's  parts. 

After  the  conclusion  of  the  war,  in  1878,  Goldfaden 
returned  to  Odessa,  where  he  established  a  regular 
Jewish  theatre. 2     Women  were  added  to  the  personnel, 

1  Cf.  Abramsky,  Bomas  Jischok,  which  gives  an  account  of  that 
period. 

2  See  Die  Jihlische  Buhne.  (Tfip  Jewish  Stage.)  Herausgegeben 
zxim  20  jahrigen  Jubildum  vnn  dem  jiklisrhpn  Theater.  Publisher, 
J.  Katzenellenbo2;en,  New  York,  1897  ;  about  800  pages,  irregularly 
marked.      In  this  volume  the   most  important  contribution,  though 


238  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

and  a  number  of  writers  began  to  write  plays  spe- 
cially adapted  for  the  stage.  Katzenellenbogen,  Lerner, 
Schaikewitscli,  Lilienblum,  and  the  founder  of  the 
theatre  were  busy  increasing  the  repertoire.  Of  these, 
Katzenellenbogen  was  the  most  original  and  most  lit- 
erary. It  does  not  appear  that  his  dramas  have  been 
printed,  but  the  songs  taken  out  of  several  of  them 
and  issued  by  him  in  a  volume  of  his  poetry  attest  a 
high  merit  in  them.  Lerner  was  satisfied  with  repro- 
ducing some  of  the  best  German  plays  in  a  Jewish 
garb.  Of  these  he  later  published,  '  Uncle  Moses  Men- 
delssohn,' a  one-act  drama  ;  a  translation  of  Gutzkow's 
'Uriel  Acosta';  a  rearrangement  of  Scribe's  'The 
Jewess';  and  a  historical  drama,  '  Chanuka,'  of  which 
the  original  is  not  mentioned  by  him.  The  dramas  of 
the  other  two  are  quite  weak,  but  they  do  not  yet  indi- 
cate that  degree  of  platitude  which  they  have  reached 
later  in  America.  The  success  of  the  theatre  was  com- 
plete. The  original  company  divided  in  two,  and  one 
part  began  to  play  independently  under  the  leadership 
of  Lerner,  while  the  other  started  on  a  tour  through 
the  Jewish  cities  of  Russia,  visiting  Kharkov,  Minsk, 
and  even  Moscow  and  St.  Petersburg.     In  many  towns 

far  from  exhaustive,  is  by  M.  Seiffert,  Die  Geschichte  vun  jUdischen 
Theater,  In  drei  Zeit-perioden,  47  pp.  For  the  condition  of  the  theatre 
at  its  beginning,  in  Roumania,  see  Abramsky,  Bomas  Jischok.  For 
its  later  development  cf.  J.  Lifschitz,  Das  jildische  Theater  un'  die 
jildische  Schauspieler,  Bezensie  ilber  das  jildische  Theater  in  War- 
schati,  in  JUd.  Volksblatt,  Vol.  VIII.  (Beilage),  pp.  773-784  (No.  26); 
Meisach,  Das  jildische  Theater,  in  Hausfreund,  Vol.  I.  pp.  160-165; 
Unser  Theater,  in  Jnd.  Volkskalender,  Vol.  III.  pp.  81-86 ;  Rombro, 
Der  judiscltir  Tlicater  in  America,  in  Stddt-anzeigcr,  No.  I.  pp.  5-9 ; 
No.  II.  pp.  8-13;  J.  Jaffa,  Der  jlldischer  Theater  icie  er  is'',  in  JUd.- 
Amer.  Volkskalender,  1895-96,  pp.  60-63.  See  also  the  bibliography 
in  Sistematifeskij  ukazateV,  p.  211  (Nos.  3137-3149),  and  pp.  286,  287 
(Nos.  4675  and  4676). 


THE   JEWISH   THEATRE  239 

they  were  received  Avith  open  hands,  in  others  the  in- 
telligent classes  saw  in  the  formation  of  a  specifically 
Jewish  theatre  a  menace  to  the  higher  intelligence 
which  was  trying  to  emancipate  itself  from  the  Judeo- 
German  language  and  all  its  traditions.  They  went  so 
far  as  to  get  the  police's  prohibition  against  the  per- 
formances of  Goldfaden's  troupe. 

This  procedure  was  only  just  in  so  far  as  it  affected 
the  character  of  the  plays,  for  there  was  nothing  in 
them  to  recommend  them  as  means  of  elevating  or 
educating  the  masses.  They  had  had  their  origin  at  a 
time  when  amusement  was  the  only  watchword,  and 
they  had  had  no  time  to  evolve  new  phases.  Seeing 
that  in  order  to  succeed  he  would  have  to  furnish 
something  more  substantial  than  his  farces,  Goldfaden 
produced  in  succession  three  historical  dramas  :  '  Doctor 
Almosado,'  '  Sulamith,'  and  '  Bar-Kochba,'  to  which  at 
a  later  time  were  added  '  Rabbi  Joselmann,  or  the  Per- 
secution in  Alsace,'  '  King  Ahasuerus,  or  Queen  Esther,' 
and  '  The  Sacrifice  of  Isaac,'  and  a  fantastic  opera,  '  The 
Tenth  Commandment.'  None  of  these  are,  properly 
speaking,  dramas,  but  operas  or  melodramas.  They 
have  at  least  the  merit  of  being  placed  on  a  historical 
or  Biblical  basis  and  of  following  good  German  models. 
Their  popularity  has  been  very  great,  and  the  many 
songs  which  they  contain,  especially  those  from  '  Sula- 
mith '  and  '  Bar-Kochba,'  rank  among  the  author's  best 
and  most  widely  known.  The  latter  two  operas  were 
translated  into  Polish,  and  given  in  a  theatre  in  Warsaw. 
Just  as  the  Jewish  theatre  was  entering  on  its  new 
course  of  the  historical  drama,  the  Government,  by  a 
rescript  of  September,  1883,  closed  them  in  Russia,  and 
this  was  followed  later  by  another  prohibition  of  Jewish 
performances  at  Warsaw,  where  the  first  law  had  been 


240  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

obviated   by   giving    them    in    the   so-called   German 
theatre. 

About  that  time  two  young  men,  Tomaschewski  and 
Golubok,  of  New  York,  started  a  theatre  in  New  York. 
The  troupe  consisted  of  actors  who  had  just  arrived 
from  London,  where  they  found  it  too  difficult  to  estab- 
lish themselves.  The  first  performance  was  given  in 
the  Fourth  Street  Turner  Hall.  As  formerly  in  Russia, 
the  Reformed  Jews  of  the  city  used  their  utmost  efforts 
to  prevent  the  playing  of  a  Jewish  comedy,  but  in 
vain.  It  was  given  in  spite  of  all  remonstrances  and 
threats.  After  that  the  theatre  was  permanently  estab- 
lished in  the  Bowery  Garden,  under  the  name  of  the 
Oriental  Theatre,  which  soon  passed  under  the  direc- 
torship of  J.  Lateiner.  In  1886  another  theatre,  The 
Roumania  Opera  House,  was  opened  in  the  old  Na- 
tional Theatre,  at  104-106  Bowery.  It  would  not  be 
profitable  to  enter  into  the  further  vicissitudes  of  the 
companies,  their  jealousies  and  ridiculous  pretensions 
at  equalling  the  best  American  troupes.  Unfortu- 
nately, the  authors  upon  whom  they  had  to  depend 
for  their  repertoires  were  Lateiner,  Hurwitz,  and  other 
worthy  followers  of  Schaikewitsch,  who  by  rapid  steps 
brought  the  Jewish  stage  down  to  the  loAvest  degrees 
of  insipidity.  Not  satisfied  with  producing  dramas 
from  a  sphere  they  knew  something  about,  they  began 
to  imitate,  or  rather  corrupt,  existing  foreign  plays, 
to  give  foolish  versions  of  '  Mary  Stuart,'  '  Don  Carlos,' 
'Trilby,'  and  similar  popular  dramas.  There  were,  in- 
deed, some  men  who  might  have  saved  the  stage  from 
its  frightful  degeneration,  but  the  theatre  managers 
would  not  listen  to  them,  preferring  to  pander  to  the 
low  taste  of  tlie  masses  by  giving  them  worthless 
productions    that    bore   some   distant    resemblance   to 


THE   JEWISH   THEATRE  241 

the   performances   in   the   lower   grades   of   American 
theatres. 

Only  during  a  short  period  of  time,  early  in  the 
nineties,  it  looked  as  though  things  were  going  to  be 
improved,  for  the  managers  accepted  a  number  of  adap- 
tations and  original  plays  by  J.  Gordin.  Gordin  be- 
longed to  that  class  of  educated  men  who,  though  they 
had  been  carried  across  the  ocean  with  one  of  the  waves 
that  bore  the  Jewish  masses  from  Russia  to  the  shores 
of  the  United  States,  had  never  stood  in  any  relation 
whatsoever  to  their  fellow-emigrants.  He  had  been  a 
Russian  journalist,  and  in  America  he  was  confronted 
with  the  alternative  of  devoting  himself  to  Judeo-Ger- 
man  literature  or  starving.  He  naturally  chose  the  first. 
Although  he  had  had  a  good  literary  training,  he  had 
never  before  written  a  word  in  the  vernacular  of  his 
people.  At  first  he  tried  himself  in  the  composition  of 
short  sketches  from  the  life  of  the  Russian  Jews,  and 
finding  that  his  articles  found  a  ready  acceptance  with 
the  Judeo-German  press,  he  attempted  dramatic  compo- 
sitions. He  has  translated,  adapted,  or  composed  in  all 
more  than  thirty  plays,  of  which,  however,  only  one  has 
been  printed.  As  his  large  variety  of  dramas  give  a  good 
idea  of  the  condition  of  the  stage  during  its  best  period, 
they  will  be  shortly  mentioned  here.  Among  the  trans- 
lations we  find  Ibsen's '  Nora ' ;  among  the  adaptations  we 
have  Victor  Hugo's  'Ruy  Bias,'  'Hernani';  Lessing's 
'Nathan  the  Wise' ;  Schiller's  'Kabale  und  Liebe,'  under 
the  name  of  '  Rosele  ' ;  '  The  Parnes-chddesch,'  from  Go- 
gol's '  The  Inspector  ' ;  '  Elischewa '  and  '  Dworele,'  imi- 
tations of  two  of  Ostrovski's  comedies ;  Grillparzer's 
'  Medea ' ;  and  '  Meir  Esofowitsch,'  on  a  subject  taken 
from  Mrs.  Orzeszko's  novel  of  the  same  name.  Several  of 
his  plays  display  more  original  creative  power.    Of  these 


242  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

it  will  suffice  to  mention  :  'The  Wild  Man,'  treating  of 
the  degeneration  among  the  Jews  ;  '  The  Jewish  Priest,' 
illustrating  the  struggle  between  the  progressive  Jews 
and  the  old  orthodox  factions ;  '  The  Russian  Jew  in 
America,'  dealing  with  the  condition  of  the  Russian 
Jews  in  New  York ;  '  The  Pogrom,'  in  which  the  late 
riots  against  the  Jews  in  Russia  are  depicted. 

Gordin  and  a  few  other  men,  such  as  Rosen  f eld, 
Korbin,  Winchevsky,  might  have  introduced  new  blood 
and  life  into  the  Jewish  drama,  but  the  managers  and 
the  silly  actors  who  in  their  pride  permit  their  names 
to  go  down  on  the  billboards  as  second  Salvinis  and 
Booths  have  willed  otherwise.  But  then  they  are 
following  in  this  the  common  course  pursued  by  all 
dying  literatures,  and  they  are  not,  after  all,  to  be 
blamed  more  than  the  public  that  permits  such  things, 
and  the  public  in  its  turn  is  merely  succumbing  rapidly 
to  the  influence  of  American  institutions,  which  before 
long  will  overwhelm  peaceably,  but  none  the  less  surely, 
the  Jewish  theatre  and  the  Judeo-German  language. 
Before  the  inevitable  shall  happen,  they  have  attempted 
to  cling  to  their  old  traditions;  but  it  is  only  a  very  faint 
glimpse  of  their  old  life  they  are  getting  now,  and  in 
the  very  weak  performances  that  one  may  still  see  on 
the  Jewish  stage  there  is  already  a  great  deal  more  of 
the  reflex  of  their  new  home  than  the  glow  of  their  old. 
It  is  very  doubtful  whether  the  Jewish  theatre  can 
subsist  in  America  another  ten  years. 

Of  late  the  theatre  has  been  revived  in  Galicia  and 
Roumania ;  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  there  exists  also  a 
Jewish  theatre  in  Warsaw.  The  plays  performed  there 
are  mainly  the  productions  of  Goldfaden,  Lerner,  and 
a  few  other  writers  of  the  older  period.  Occasionally 
a  play  is  given  there  that  has  previously  been  played 


THE   JEWISH   THEATRE  243 

in  New  York.  If  the  theatre  is  to  survive  in  Europe, 
it  will  naturally  develop  quite  independently  from  the 
American  stage.  It  must  remain  more  national  if  it  is 
at  all  to  be  Jewish.  And  such  we  really  find  it  to  be. 
In  addition  to  the  several  dramas  mentioned  through- 
out the  book  there  might  be  added  David  Sahik's  '  A 
Rose  between  Thorns '  and  San  will  Frumkis's  '  A  Faith- 
ful Love,'  which  are  among  the  best  comedies  produced 
in  Judeo-German. 

Excepting  the  peculiar  development  of  the  theatre  in 
America,  the  Judeo-German  drama  has  remained  more 
or  less  a  popular  form  of  poetry.  In  the  form  of  Gold- 
faden's  farces  we  may  see  an  evolution  of  the  farcical 
Purim  plays,  while  his  historical  dramas  stand  in  very 
much  the  same  relation  to  our  time  that  the  mysteries 
occupied  two  centuries  ago.  Similarly  the  theatre,  even 
at  its  best,  has  remained  of  a  primitive  nature. 


XVI.    OTHER   ASPECTS    OF   LITERATURE 

In  spite  of  the  brilliant  evolution  of  Judeo-German 
literature  in  the  last  fifty  years,  the  older  ethical  works 
of  the  preceding  period  continue  in  power  and  are 
reprinted  from  time  to  time,  mostly  in  the  printing 
offices  at  Warsaw  and  Lublin.  Among  these  we  find 
a  large  number  of  biographies  of  famous  Rabbis,  testa- 
mentar}^  instructions  of  wise  men,  essays  on  charity, 
faith,  and  other  virtues,  and  an  endless  mass  of  com- 
mentaries on  the  Bible  and  other  religious  books. 
Most  of  these  are  translations  from  the  Hebrew.  Of 
late  there  have  also  begun  to  appear  treatises  on 
moral  subjects  written  specially  in  the  vernacular.  We 
have  had  occasion  to  mention  the  works  of  Zweifel. 
There  have  also  been  written  sermons  of  a  more  pre- 
tentious character  in  Judeo-German,  and  even  the 
missionaries  have  used  the  dialect  for  the  purpose  of 
making  propaganda  among  them :  the  first  to  attempt 
this  were  the  English  missionaries,  the  last  have  been 
emissaries  from  the  Greek  Church.  Of  course  these 
have  had  no  influence  of  any  kind  on  the  minds  of 
the  people.  One  of  the  most  fruitful  branches  of  the 
liturgical  literature  has  been  the  Tchines,  or  Prayers. 
They  are  intended  for  women,  and  there  is  a  vast 
variety  of  them  for  ever}-  occasion  in  life.  Some  of 
the  older  ones  are  quite  poetical,  being  translations  or 
imitations  of  good  models.  But  many  of  the  newer 
ones  have  been  manufactured  without  rhyme  or  rea- 
son by  young  scholars  in  the   Rabbinical  seminaries  of 

244 


OTHER   ASPECTS    OF   LITERATURE  245 

Wilna  and  Zhitomir.  These  were  frequently  in  sore 
straits  for  a  living,  and  knowing  the  proneness  of 
women  to  purchase  new,  tearful  prayers,  have  com- 
posed them  to  their  tastes.  They  have  hardly  any 
merit,  except  as  they  form  a  sad  chapter  in  the  sad  lives 
of  Russian  Jewish  women.  The  old  story-books  and 
the  prayers  have  been  almost  the  only  consolation  they 
have  had  in  their  lives  fraught  with  woe. 

In  one  of  Abramowitscb's  novels  a  woman,  purchas- 
ing a  prayer  from  an  itinerant  bookseller,  gives  the  fol- 
lowing reason  for  being  so  addicted  to  them :  "•  For  us 
poor  women,  the  Tchines  are  the  only  remedy  for  hearts 
full  of  sores  and  wounds  ;  they  furnish  us  with  the 
only  means  of  weeping  to  our  hearts'  content,  and  of 
finding  relief  for  our  saddened  spirits  in  a  warm  stream 
of  tears.  ...  It  is  truly  aggravating  and  painful  to 
see  men  who  do  not  understand  and  who  do  not 
wish  to  understand  our  hearts  make  light  of  women's 
Tchines  and  begrudge  us  the  only  consolation  we  have. 
Let  them  take  a  seat  in  the  women's  synagogue  on  a 
Saturday  or  some  holiday,  and  let  them  watch  the 
many  poor,  unfortunate  women  who  have  come  away 
from  their  homes  under  difficulties :  —  one  suffering 
an  evil  fate  from  her  husband,  another  a  forlorn 
widow  ;  one  heavy  with  child,  another  downhearted 
and  exhausted  from  watching  long  nights  at  the  bed 
of  her  sick,  suckling  babe  ;  one  with  swollen,  blistered 
hands  from  standing  at  the  stove,  and  another  with 
her  face  careworn,  and  pale  from  heavy  slave's  work, 
from  walking  eternally  under  a  yoke  ;  —  let  them  watch 
all  these  sad,  downtrodden  women  standing  around  the 
Reader,  let  them  hear  them  wail  and  lament  with  eyes 
uplifted  to  their  merciful,  all-kind  Father  in  heaven, 
bathing  in  tears  and  ready  to  tear  their  hearts  out  of 


246  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

their  bosoms.  If  the  men  could  see  such  a  scene  with 
their  own  eyes,  they  would,  I  am  sure,  never  open  their 
mouths  again  to  ridicule  the  prayers  of  women." 

Outside  of  these  prayers  and  ethical  treatises  the  most 
popular  books  since  the  middle  of  our  century  have  been 
two  elementary  works,  —  one  on  arithmetic,  teaching 
the  rudiments  of  the  art,  the  other  a  letterwriter.  It  is 
probably  no  exaggeration  to  say  that  a  hundred  editions 
of  the  latter  book  have  appeared  in  print.  It  was  com- 
posed by  Lewin  Abraham  Liondor,  and  was  intended 
as  a  guide  for  Judeo-German  spelling  and  letter-writ- 
ing by  children  and  women.  This  has  been  almost 
the  only  text-book  written  in  and  for  the  vernacular. 
Liondor  knew  how  to  make  it  entertaining  by  having  a 
series  of  connected  stories  in  the  form  of  letters  and 
an  occasional  song  interspersed  in  them.  The  book 
begins  with  an  interesting  dialogue  in  the  form  of 
letters  between  the  letterwriter  and  the  author,  and 
ends  with  a  number  of  letters  from  and  to  a  schadchen, 
the  go-between  in  marriage  affairs.  From  the  dialogue 
one  can  see  what  great  popularity  this  humble  work 
has  had  in  its  time.  There  have  been  issued  in  the 
last  ten  years  a  number  of  similar  letterwriters,  more 
in  accord  with  the  demands  of  the  time,  but  the  naivete 
of  Liondor's  book  has  all  disappeared  in  them,  and  they 
present  no  interest  to  the  reader. 

It  has  never  occurred  to  Judeo-German  writers  to 
treat  their  language  grammatically.  They  all  started 
out  with  the  idea  that  it  was  not  a  language,  but  merely 
a  corrupted  dialect  which  could  not  be  brought  under 
any  grammatical  rules.  In  this  opinion  they  have  per- 
severed up  to  the  present.  Where  they  felt  it,  never- 
theless, their  duty  to  establish  some  kind  of  system, 
they  have  dealt  only  with  orthography,  and  thus  of  late 


OTHER   ASPECTS   OF   LITERATURE  247 

a  few  pamphlets  on  that  subject,  but  of  no  scientific 
value,  have  been  produced  by  them.  Much  greater 
has  been  the  attempt  of  Judeo-German  authors  to  fur- 
nish their  people  with  text-books  for  the  study  of 
foreign  tongues.  As  early  as  1824  a  Polish  grammar 
appeared  in  Warsaw.  Wherever  the  conditions  have 
been  favorable  for  it,  the  Jews  have  tried  to  learn  the 
languages  of  their  Gentile  fellow-citizens.  If  they 
have  so  long  persevered  in  the  use  of  their  dialect 
in  Russia  and  Poland,  the  fault  is  with  the  Govern- 
ment and  not  with  them,  as  we  shall  soon  see.  In 
the  seventies  Jewish  youths  were  admitted  liberally 
to  the  gymnasia  and  universities,  and  they  eagerly 
availed  themselves  of  the  privilege  and  threw  them- 
selves with  ardor  upon  the  study  of  the  Russian  lan- 
guage. The  most  encouraging  time  for  them  was  from 
the  year  1874  to  1875,  wdien  all  seemed  to  presage 
better  days  for  them.  The  schools  were  crowded  with 
ambitious  children,  and  there  were  many  left  at  home 
wdio  had  to  get  their  Russian  education  privately  or 
through  self-instruction.  To  help  these,  a  number  of 
excellent  text-books  w^ere  written.  Such  were  the 
books  of  Skurchowitsch,  Lifschitz,  Zazkin,  Chadak, 
Feigensohn.  All  these  appeared  within  the  short 
period  of  two  years.  Later  a  number  of  other  simi- 
lar productions  follow^ed.  Lifschitz  also  published  at 
the  same  time  a  Russian-Judeo-German  and  Judeo- 
German-Russian  dictionary,  which  is  one  of  the  most 
valuable  stores  of  Judeo-German  that  we  possess. 
Everything  was  preparing  the  way  for  the  extermina- 
tion of  the  native  dialect  in  favor  of  the  literary 
language  of  the  country,  when  the  short-sightedness 
of  the  Government  drove  them  once  more  back  into 
their  separate  existence. 


248  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

Previous  to  the  seventies  there  could  be  found  only 
grammars  for  the  study  of  German,  French,  and  even 
English,  but  no  works  to  make  the  study  of  Russian 
easy.  Since  the  year  1881,  when  the  forced  emigra- 
tion began,  new  interests  have  taken  hold  of  the  minds 
of  the  Jews.  They  have  been  scattered  to  the  four 
winds,  have  formed  colonies  in  Germany  and  France,  but 
more  especially  in  England,  South  Africa,  and  the  United 
States.  Most  of  those  who  have  gone  to  their  new 
homes,  and  who  still  intend  going  there,  hardly  know 
any  other  language  than  Judeo-German.  But  they  must 
learn  the  tongues  of  their  adopted  countries,  and  we 
find  a  large  number  of  text-books  of  all  descriptions 
prepared  for  them.  They  have  been  driven  also  to 
Spanish  America,  and  we  find  Spanish  word-books  and 
grammars  written  for  them.  Sadder  still,  they  have 
begun  to  dream  of  returning  to  their  former  home  in 
Palestine,  and  Arabic  word-books  have  become  their 
latest  necessity.  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that  this 
class  of  publications  has  no  claim  to  scientific  recog- 
nition ;  though  they  are  sometimes  written  by  educated 
men,  they  are  meant  to  serve  only  for  the  immedi- 
ate needs  of  the  wandering  Jew.  They  consequently 
reflect,  like  the  belles  lettres,  the  conditions  under  which 
the  Jews  are  laboring. 

At  the  dawn  of  the  new  era,  in  the  first  half  of  this 
century,  few  thought  of  the  study  of  foreign  languages. 
The  masses  were  too  ignorant  in  more  essential  things 
to  be  ready  for  that  kind  of  instruction.  It  was  more 
important  that  they  be  made  acquainted  witli  the  most 
obvious  facts  around  them.  We  saw  how  one  of  the 
most  popular  books  of  those  days  was  '  The  Discovery 
of  America,'  which  also  gave  some  facts  in  regard  to 
physical  geography.      In   the  sixties,   when   books  of 


OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  LITERATURE  249 

instruction  for  the  first  time  were  being  printed,  his- 
tory and  geography  were  the  first  to  receive  the  atten- 
tion of  those  who  wished  to  further  popular  instruction. 
Ahnost  one  of  the  very  first  to  be  issued  then  was 
Resser's  '  Universal  History,'  and  this  was  followed  not 
long  after  by  a  primer  on  geography.  Only  after  the 
riots,  a  more  direct  attempt  was  begun  at  the  education 
of  the  people  from  the  standpoint  of  their  vernacular, 
and  since  then  geographies  and  histories  of  the  best 
foreign  authors  have  been  adapted  to  their  humble 
needs.  We  find  then,  among  others,  a  translation  of 
Graetz's  'Popular  History  of  the  Jews.' 

When  we  reach  the  nineties,  we  get  a  whole  litera- 
ture of  popular  science.  We  have  Bernstein's  '  Natu- 
ral Science,'  Brehm's  '  Essays  on  Animals,'  and  a  large 
number  of  other  similar  adaptations  for  this  period. 
The  most  systematic  distribution  of  such  books  was 
carried  on  by  A.  Kotik  and  Bressler,  who  published  a 
series  of  text-books  on  the  useful  sciences.  Among 
these  are  several  on  anthropology,  on  political  econ- 
omy, and  even  on  Darwinism.  But  none  of  these  can 
compare  in  literary  value  with  the  excellent  essays  of 
Perez,  or  even  with  some  of  the  articles  in  the  various 
periodicals.  Within  the  last  few  years  the  popular 
stories  of  Tannenbaum  in  New  York  have  become 
very  popular  in  Russia,  where  nearly  all  of  his  works 
are  being  reprinted  as  soon  as  they  have  appeared 
in  America.  One  of  the  most  persistent  kinds  of 
this  class  of  literature  has  been  the  one  that  gives 
instruction  in  popular  medicine.  We  find  such  infor- 
mation teaching  what  to  do  in  case  of  cholera  in  the 
first  half  of  the  century,  and  later  for  nearly  forty 
years  many  such  useful  essays  have  been  written  by 
Dr.   Tscherny.      This   exhausts   the    scanty  collection 


250  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

of  a  scientific  nature  that  has  been  produced  for  the 
masses. 

Conditions  have  not  been  favorable  in  Russia  for  the 
development  of  a  periodical  literature  such  as  the  lead- 
ers of  the  people  have  always  had  in  mind,  and  such  as 
the  writers  now  would  like  to  see  inaugurated.  The 
Government  has  put  so  many  obstacles  in  the  way  of 
their  publications  that  they  have  nearly  all  been  of  an 
ephemeral  nature,  and  have  had  successively  to  give 
place  to  new  and  just  as  short-lived  periodicals.  The 
earliest  use  of  Judeo-German,  at  least  of  German  written 
with  Hebrew  letters,  we  find  in  a  gazette  published  in 
Prague  in  the  beginning  of  the  century  ;  the  next  was 
a  similar  paper  that  was  published  in  Warsaw  in  1824. 
After  that  there  ensued  a  long  silence  until  the  year  1848, 
when  a  constitution  and  the  freedom  of  the  press  were 
announced  in  Austria.  The  happy  news  was  brought 
to  the  Jews  of  Galicia  by  a  Judeo-German  procla- 
mation issued  by  Jizchok  Jehuda  Ben  Awraham  in 
Lemberg.  In  a  simple  language  the  author  tells  his 
co-religionists  of  the  change  that  lias  come  over  them, 
of  the  formation  of  a  National  Guard,  of  the  Freedom 
of  the  Press,  and  of  the  Cojistitution.  It  proceeds  to 
give  the  late  occurrences  in  Lemberg,  and  expresses  the 
hope  of  a  close  union  with  the  Gentile  population. 
"  And  to-day  when  the  Gentiles  cast  away  their  hatred 
against  us,  we  Jews  who  have  always  had  good  hearts 
shall  certainly  be  one  bod}^  and  one  soul  with  the  Chris- 
tians." A  month  later  A.  M.  Mohr  started  a  political 
gazette  under  the  name  of  Zeitmig,  in  which  a  cor- 
rupt German,  rather  than  Judeo-German,  was  employed. 
This  paper  has  subsisted,  with  some  interruptions 
and  various  changes  of  form,  up  to  the  present  time. 
The  following  year  there  was  issued  a  rival  paper,  Die 


OTHER  ASPECTS  OF   LITERATURE  251 

jiidische  Post,   which  added  a  commercial  column  to 
the  political  news. 

In  Russia  no  periodical  appeared  until  Zederbaum 
issued  his  supplement,  Kbl-metvasser,  to  the  Hameliz 
in  1863.  This  weekly  was  not  only  a  gazette  of 
political  news,  but  also  a  literary  magazine  which,  as 
we  have  seen,  has  fostered  the  Judeo-German  litera- 
ture and  has  made  it  possible  for  Abraraowitsch  and 
Linetzki  to  develop  themselves.  In  1871  its  life  was 
cut  short.  In  1867  a  short-lived  attempt  was  made 
in  Warsaw  to  issue  a  weekl^^.  Die  Warsehauer  jiidische 
Zeitung,  which  followed  closely  the  precedent  set  by 
the  Kol-mewasser.  Many  of  the  contributors  to  the 
older  magazine  have  written  articles  for  the  same.  For 
some  reason,  emanating  mainly  from  the  censor,  no 
periodical  in  Judeo-German  was  published  in  Russia 
during  the  seventies.  The  Jews  were,  however,  not 
entirely  without  reading  matter  of  that  class,  for  at 
different  times  magazines  and  gazettes  were  issued  for 
them  abroad.  The  first  of  the  kind  was  the  Jisi'ulik, 
which  appeared  in  Lemberg  in  1875  under  the  joint 
editorship  of  Linetzki  and  Goldfaden.  This  differed 
from  its  predecessors  in  so  far  as  it  made  the  literary 
part  the  most  important  division  in  its  columns.  Most 
of  the  matter  was  furnished  by  the  editors  themselves, 
or  rather  by  Linetzki  alone,  for  Goldfaden's  name  does 
not  figure  upon  it  after  the  first  few  numbers.  In  less 
than  half  a  year,  the  JisruUk  was  discontinued.  From 
1877  up  to  1881  Briill  issued  in  Mainz  a  weekly,  ffa- 
jisroeli,  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the  Russian  Jews. 
Upon  its  pages  one  may  now  and  then  find  the  names 
of  some  of  the  older  writers,  but  on  the  whole  it  seems 
to  have  been  only  in  distant  contact  with  its  country- 
men at  home.     Another  weekly  of  the  same  character 


252  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

was  started  in  1880  under  the  name  of  Kol-leom  in 
Konigsberg.  Only  the  next  year  Zederbaum  succeeded 
in  obtaining  the  Government's  permission  for  his  Volks- 
hlatt,  which  appeared  uninterruptedly  until  1889,  some 
time  after  its  chief  contributors,  Spektor  and  Rabino- 
witsch  had  discontinued  their  connection  with  it  and 
had  started  annuals  of  their  own.  Since  then,  several 
new  ones,  all  of  them  of  very  short  duration,  have  seen 
daylight.  At  the  moment  of  writing  this,  permission 
has  been  granted  by  the  Russian  government  to  a  Zion- 
istic  society,  in  Warsaw,  to  publish  a  magazine  under 
the  name  of  Bas-kol. 

There  has  been  a  steady  progress  in  the  periodical 
press,  such  as  could  be  expected  under  the  tantalizing 
restrictions  attendant  on  a  Judeo-German  press  in 
Russia.  The  VolkMatt  is  both  quantitatively  and 
qualitatively  an  improvement  over  the  Kol-meivasser, 
which  in  its  turn  is  far  superior  to  the  gazettes  preced- 
ing it.  The  Hausfreund  and  the  Volksbibliothek,  Das 
Tieilige  Land^  and  Die  jildische  Bihliothek  are  all  more 
systematic,  more  in  accord  with  the  modern  form  of 
periodicals,  than  the  Volksblatt. 

There  has  been  and  still  is  another  potent  factor 
in  the  dissemination  of  useful  knowledge  and  even 
of  good  literature,  that  is  furnished  by  the  almanacs, 
of  which  a  large  number  have  been  issued  at  various 
times.  The  best  of  these  were  started  in  the  seventies, 
just  at  the  time  when  the  periodical  press  was  discon- 
tinued. One  of  the  earliest  of  the  kind  was  TJie  Use- 
ful Calendar^  the  first  of  which  was  issued  in  Wilna 
in  1875  by  Abramowitsch.  In  addition  to  the  usual 
iiif(jrmation  given  in  publications  of  this  sort,  there  are 
ill  it  tabular  data  on  geograph}^  liistory,  statistics,  and 
similar  sciences,  all  gotten  logetlier  from  the  best  and 


OTHER  ASPECTS  OF  LITERATURE  253 

most  reliable  sources.  It  is  a  close  reproduction  of 
similar  almanacs  in  the  Russian  language.  Soon  after 
a  similar  series  was  begun  by  Linetzki,  who  added  a 
column  of  anecdotes  to  those  of  a  more  serious  nature. 
In  the  nineties,  when  there  was  again  a  lull  in  the 
publication  of  the  annuals  and  magazines,  the  almanac 
was  revived,  but  in  a  still  more  improved  form  than 
before.  In  fact,  it  now  differs  little  from  the  annuals, 
for  the  calendar  is  the  minor  part  in  it,  while  the 
literary  division  is  Avorked  out  with  great  care.  The 
first  of  this  new  kind  was  edited  by  J.  Bernas  under 
the  name  of  The  Jeivish  Commercial  Calendar  for  the 
years  1891-1896.  Among  the  contributors  to  the  lit- 
erary department  we  find  the  familiar  names  of  Pe- 
rez, Dienesohn,  Goldfaden,  Frischmann.  Since  1893 
Spektor  has  been  issuing  an  annual  almanac.  The 
Warsaw  Jeivish  Family  Calendar^  which  is  constructed 
after  the  manner  of  Bernas's  publication.  Another 
similar  series  is  that  issued  by  EjDpelberg  of  Warsaw. 
The  most  perfect  of  the  almanacs  is  the  one  which  was 
started  in  1894  by  G.  Bader  in  Lemberg  under  the 
name  of  the  Jeivish  Popular  Calendar^  of  which  not 
less  than  two-thirds  is  occupied  by  literature.  As 
contributing  editors  are  mentioned  Abramowitsch, 
Frug,  Perez,  J.  M.  Rabinowitsch,  and  a  few  others 
who  have  not  appeared  before  in  Judeo-German  litera- 
ture. These  almanacs  are  calculated  to  do  a  great  deal 
of  good  among  the  masses,  as  they  are  circulated  in 
much  larger  editions  than  any  other  books,  and  as  they 
generally  escape  destruction  at  least  for  the  period  of 
one  year,  whereas  the  people  have  not  learned  to  pre- 
serve printed  works  longer  than  during  the  time  they 
are  perusing  them.  The  rapidity  with  which  books 
disappear  from  the  market   and   from   the   possession 


254  YIDDISH  LITERATUKE 

of  private  individuals  is  something  astounding.  Of 
books  printed  in  the  sixties  one  need  hardly  hope  to  be 
able  to  find  more  than  one  in  ten  asked  for,  while  even 
those  that  have  been  printed  comparatively  late,  in 
the  eighties,  have  frequently  become  a  rarity.  This 
is  partly  due  to  their  being  sold  in  uncut,  unstitched 
sheets  which  easily  fall  to  pieces.  But  much  more 
often  it  is  the  result  of  indifference  to  the  printed  word 
which,  to  a  certain  extent,  is  also  shared  by  the  corre- 
sponding classes  of  their  Gentile  countrymen.  The 
works  that  have  been  published  in  the  last  twenty 
years  stand  a  better  chance  of  being  preserved,  as  they 
are  well  stitched  and  not  seldom  even  bound.  They 
are  also  printed  on  much  better  paper  than  the  majority 
of  books  of  the  older  time. 

What  few  Judeo- German  books  were  issued  in  Russia 
before  the  sixties  were  printed  mostly  in  the  printing 
offices  of  Wilna  and  Warsaw.  Up  to  the  forties,  the 
books  that  proceeded  from  the  first  place  bear  the 
names  of  the  printers  Manes  and  Simel,  after  which 
begins  the  activity  of  the  firm  Romm,  which  is  still  in 
existence  ;  but  Romm  is  not  the  only  firm  there  now 
as  it  has  been  for  nearly  fifty  years.  In  Warsaw  we 
find  in  the  beginning  of  our  century  the  office  of  Levin- 
sohn  ;  in  the  forties  many  works  were  also  printed  at 
Orgelbrand's.  In  the  sixties  and  the  seventies,  most 
of  the  better  works  were  published  in  the  South.  The 
firms  of  Nitsche,  and  Beilinsohn  in  Odessa  and  of  Scha- 
dow,  and  Bakst  in  Zhitomir  printed  nearly  all  the  Judeo- 
Gorman  books  of  the  Southern  group  of  writers.  The 
books  of  the  Odessa  firms  are  particularly  well  printed, 
and  put  together  in  an  attractive  form.  In  the  last 
twenty  years  Berdichev,  Kiev,  Wilna,  Warsaw,  have 
been    the   leading   cities   to   print    such    books,    while 


OTHER   ASPECTS   OF   LITERATURE  255 

Lublin  in  Poland,  and  Lemberg  in  Galicia,  have  brought 
out  a  mass  of  religious  and  legendary  literature.  The 
Lemberg  chapbooks  can  hardly  be  equalled  for  the 
miserable  way  in  which  they  are  gotten  up  and  printed. 

Anciently  Jewish  bookstores  could  be  found  only 
in  the  largest  cities.  In  the  towns  and  villages  the 
books  were  disseminated  by  the  itinerant  bookseller 
who  carried  with  him  a  variety  of  things  which  did  not 
have  anything  in  common  with  the  book  trade,  such  as 
candlesticks,  show-threads,  prayer  shawls,  and  other 
things  necessary  in  the  observance  of  the  Mosaic  Law. 
Even  now  this  wandering  bookseller  has  not  gone  out 
of  existence.  All  the  stories  of  Abramowitch  are 
told  in  the  person  of  Mendele  Mocher  Sforim,  i.e. 
Mendel  the  Bookseller,  of  whose  part  played  in  the 
distribution  of  literature  and  as  a  newsmonger  many 
interesting  details  will  be  found  in  his  works.  It 
is  interesting  to  note  that  a  few  years  ago  several  Rus- 
sians who  had  undertaken  to  spread  good  books  among 
the  people  resorted  to  the  same  means  that  for  a  hun- 
dred years,  if  not  longer,  had  been  in  vogue  among  the 
Jews.  The  books  were  hawked  about  in  a  wagon  from 
village  to  village,  and  to  attract  the  peasants,  many 
other  useful  things  were  sold  by  these  itinerant  book- 
stores. 

Since  the  dispersion  of  the  Russian  Jews  in  Europe 
and  America,  there  has  arisen  in  the  diaspora  a  large 
number  of  periodical  publications  which  serve  as  the 
medium  for  the  dissemination  of  all  kinds  of  knowl- 
edge. In  England  there  were  issued  in  the  eighties 
the  weeklies  The  Future  and  The  Polish  Jew.,  and  in 
the  nineties  a  monthly  The  Free  World.  Some  good 
essays  on  sociological  questions,  mostly  of  a  socialistic 
nature,  were  issued  by  the  '  Socialistic  Library '  and 


256  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

'  The  People's  Library  '  in  London.  In  Paris  there  has 
appeared  since  1896  a  weekly,  The  Hatikwoh,  under 
the  editorship  of  Bernas,  the  former  compiler  of  a 
calendar.  In  that  city  Zuckermann  is  publishing  also 
a  '  Library  of  Novels,'  in  which  one  may  find  transla- 
tions of  many  of  the  popular  French  works.  Roumania 
has  had  a  gazette,  the  Hajdez,  ever  since  the  seventies, 
which  has  published  a  number  of  novels  in  book  form. 
The  most  of  these  are  translations ;  the  few  original 
ones  that  have  appeared  in  that  collection  are  of  little 
value.  A  few  other  papers  may  be  found  in  Jassy 
and  other  places.  In  1896  H.  L.  Gottlieb  started  a 
monthly  in  M.-Sziget  in  Hungary,  but  it  lived  only 
two  months.  Most  of  the  articles  in  prose  and  poetry 
are  by  the  editor  himself,  whose  style  resembles  that 
of  Linetzki  and  Goldfaden.  There  have  also  been  pub- 
lished a  dozen  books,  mostly  farces  or  parodies,  in 
Judeo-German,  but  with  German  letters.  Nearly  all 
of  these  appeared  in  Austria  and  Hungary.  They  add 
nothing  to  the  store  of  the  Judeo-German  literature. 


CHRESTOMATHY 


As  the  main  intention  of  the  present  Chrestomathy  is  to  give  a 
conception  of  the  literary  value  of  Judeo-German  literature,  and  not 
of  its  linguistic  development,  the  texts  have  all  been  normalized  to  the 
Lithuanian  variety  of  speech.  The  translations  make  no  pretence  to 
literary  form :  they  are  as  literal  as  is  consistent  with  the  spirit  of  the 
English  language  ;  only  in  the  case  of  Abramowitsch's  writings  it  was 
necessary  frequently  to  depart  considerably  from  the  text,  in  order  to 
give  an  adequate  idea  of  the  original  meaning  which,  in  the  Judeo- 
German,  on  account  of  the  allusions,  is  not  always  clear  to  the  reader. 
The  choice  of  the  extracts  has  been  such  as  to  illustrate  the  various 
styles,  and  only  incidentally  to  reproduce  the  story  ;  hence  their  frag- 
mentariness.  Should  the  present  work  rouse  any  interest  in  the  hum- 
ble literature  of  the  Russian  Jews,  the  author  will  undertake  a  more 
complete  Chrestomathy  which  will  do  justice  to  the  linguistic  require- 
ments as  well. 

257 


258  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 


I.    SSEEFER  KOHELES 

(Chap.  I.  1-11) 

1.  Das  senen  die  Worter  Koheles,  Dawids  Suhn, 
Melech  in  Jeruscholaim. 

2.  Hawel  Hawolim,  flegt  Koheles  zu  sagen,  Hawel 
Hawolim,  All'sding  is  Howel. 

3.  Was  kummt  dem  Menschen  draus  mit  all'  sein 
Horewanie,  was  er  derhorewet  sich  nor  unter  der  Sunn'. 

4.  Ein  Dor  geht  varbei  un'  ein  anderer  Dor  kummt 
wieder  auf,  nor  die  Erd'  bleibt  as5  ebig  stehn. 

5.  Geht  wieder  auf  die  Sunn',  vargeht  wieder  die 
Sunn',  all's  wieder  in  ihr  Ruh'  arein,  sie  scheint,  sie 
schnappt  nor  aliin. 

6.  Er  geht  kein  Dorem  un'  dreht  sich  aus  kein 
Zoffen,  arum  un'  arum  drelit  sich  aus  der  Wind,  un' 
as5  kummt  aber  a  ISIal  araus  der  eigener  Wind. 

7.  Alle  Teichen  gelin  in  Jam  arein  un'  der  Jam 
geht  noch  all's  nischt  iiber  ;  wuhin  die  Teichen  gehn, 
varsteh',  dorten  araus  gehn  see  take  wieder  zuriick. 

8.  Alle  Sachen  mutschen  sich,  nor  es  kann  kein 
Mensch  gar  nischt  all's  ausreden,  kein  Aug  kann  sich 
dran  nit  satt  ankucken,  kein  Oher  kann  sich  nit  genug 
vull  anhoren. 

9.  Was  a  Mai  is  gewesen,  das  Eigene  wet  take 
wieder  a  Mai  sein,  un'  was  es  flegt  sich  zu  thun,  das 
wet  sich  wieder  alle  Mai  thun  :  es  is'  gar  all's  kein 
Neues  nischt  unter  der  Sunn'. 

10.  Oftmals  wet  sich  a  Sach  mit  geben,  was  me  sagt : 
"  Owa,  o  das  is'  schon  jfi  spogel  neu,  es  is  16  hojo  I  "  Es 
is'  schon  a  Mai  aso  tiuch  gewe'n,  far  Zeiten,  as  mir  senen 
noch  efscher  auf  der  Welt  nischt  gewe'n. 


CHRESTOMATHT  269 


I.    ECCLESIASTES 

(Chap.  I.  1-11) 

1.  The  words  of  the  Preacher,  the  son  of  David, 
king  in  Jerusalem. 

2.  Vanity  of  vanities,  saith  the  Preacher,  vanity  of 
vanities  ;  all  is  vanity. 

3.  What  profit  has  a  man  of  all  his  labour  which  he 
taketh  under  the  sun  ? 

4.  One  generation  passeth  away,  and  another  gen- 
eration Cometh  :  but  the  earth  abideth  forever. 

5.  The  sun  also  ariseth,  and  the  sun  goeth  down, 
and  hasteth  to  his  place  where  he  arose. 

6.  The  wind  goeth  toward  the  south,  and  turneth 
about  unto  the  north;  it  whirleth  about  continually, 
and  the  wind  returneth  again  according  to  his  circuits. 

7.  All  the  rivers  run  into  the  sea ;  yet  the  sea  is 
not  full ;  unto  the  place  from  whence  the  rivers  come, 
thither  they  return  again. 

8.  All  things  are  full  of  labour  ;  man  cannot  utter 
it ;  the  eye  is  not  satisfied  with  seeing,  nor  the  ear  filled 
with  hearing. 

9.  The  thing  that  hath  been,  it  is  that  which  shall 
be  ;  and  that  which  is  done  is  that  which  shall  be  done  ; 
and  there  is  no  new  thing  under  the  sun. 

10.  Is  there  any  thing  whereof  it  may  be  said.  See, 
this  is  new  ?  it  hath  been  already  of  old  time,  which 
was  before  us. 


260  YIDDISH  LITEKATURE 

11.  Es  gedenkt  sich  sch5n  azund  nischt  in  dem,  was 
a  Mai  fiilher  is  gewe'n,  aber  in  die  spatere  Sachen,  was 
woUen  sich  erst  thun,  wet  man  noch  spater  audi  in  see 
vargessen.  j^  ^  ^^^^^ 

II.    DIE  MALPE 

('Mescholim,'  etc.,  p.  106) 
"  Weis'  mir  ehotsch  eine  zwischen  die  Chajes, 
"  Ich  soil  nischt  nachmachen  ihre  Hawajes  I  " 
Aso  thut  sich  a  Malpele  beriihmen 
Var  a  Fuchs,  was  is'  zu  ihr  gekiimmen. 
Das  Fiichsel  entwert  teekef  zuriick  : 
"  Sag'  nor  du,  parschiwe  Marschelik  ! 
"  Wemen  wet  aber  das  einfallen  a  ganz  J;lhr, 
"  Er  soil  woUen  dir  nachmachen  auf  a  Haar  ?  " 

■,;;■  i.i  *  *  * 

Das  Moschel  mag,  chleben,  ohn'  a  Nimschel  bleiben, 
Itlicher  weisst  es  allein,  wemen  zuzuschreiben. 

S.  Ettinger. 

III.     DAIGES  NlCH  DEM  TODT 

('Mescholim,'  etc.,  p.  225) 
Der  karger  Chaim  liegt  begraben  oto  da ! 
Kein  Aremen  flegt  er  zu  geben  a  Dreier ; 
Er  hat  noch  Daiges  bis  der  itztiger  Scho, 
Was  sein  Mazeewe  hat  gekost'  ihm  teuer. 

S.  Ettinger. 

IV.    DER  ELENDER  SUCHT  DIE  RUHE 

('Makel  Noam,'  Vol.  I.  pp.  71-75) 
Sag'  mir,  ich  bett'  dich,  du  Wind, 
Du  schwebst  dich  auf  der  ganzer  Welt, 
Weisst  nischt,  wu  der  Elender  sich  gefindt 
Zu  ruhen  ein  Gezelt, 


CHRESTOMATHY  261 

11.  There  is  no  remembrance  of  former  things ; 
neither  shall  there  be  any  remembrance  of  things  that 
are  to  come  with  those  that  shall  come  after. 

King  James  Bible. 

n.    THE  MONKEY 

"Show  me  but  one  among  all  the  animals  whose 
grimaces  I  cannot  imitate  ! "  Thus  a  little  monkey- 
boasted  to  a  fox  that  came  to  visit  him.  The  fox 
bluntly  replied  to  him  :  "  Tell  me,  you  nasty  marshe- 
lik  !  To  whom  would  it  ever  occur  in  a  year  to  want  to 
imitate  you  a  whit  ?  " 


The  parable,  I  am  sure,  may  remain  without  a  moral, 
for  each  one  knows  himself  to  whom  to  ascribe  it. 


III.    WORRY  AFTER  DEATH 

Stingy  Chaim  lies  buried  in  this  place  !  He  never 
gave  a  penny  to  a  poor  man ;  he  is  worried  even  at  the 
present  hour  because  his  tombstone  has  cost  him  so 
much. 


IV.    THE  FORLORN  MAN  LOOKING  FOR  REST 

Tell  me,  I  pray  you,  O  Wind,  joii  who  hover  over 
the  whole  world,  do  you  not  know  where  the  forlorn 
man  may  find  a  tent  in  which  to  rest,  —  where  injustice 
has  ceased,  where  there  is  never  a  complaint,  where  no 


262  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

Wu  Reziches  hat  aufgehort, 
Me  hat  keinmal  iiischt  geklagt, 
Wu  kein  Aug'  hat  nischt  getrahrt, 
Der  Gerechter  werd  nischt  geplagt? 
Der  Wind  schweigt  un'  bleibt  still  stehn, 
Siifzt  un'  entvvert :  "  Nein,  nein  !  " 

Sag'  mir,  du  tiefes,  du  grosses  Meer, 

Du  stromst  aso  weit 

Bei  deine  Inslen  hin  un'  her, 

Weisst  nischt  ergez  in  a  Seit', 

Wu  der  Frummer  gefindt  a  Trost, 

Zu  ruhen  a  sicher  Ort  ? 

Weisst  nischt,  wie  die  Stadt  heisst  ? 

Sag'  das  gute  Wort ! 

Der  Jam  stromt  un'  brummt :  "  Nein  ! 

"Ich  hab'  s5  ein  Ort  nischt  gesehn." 

Du  schoene  Lewone  mit  dein  Pracht, 
Du  kuckst  doch  iiberall 
Wenn  es  is'  still  bei  der  Nacht, 
Verdeckt  mit  der  schwarzer  Schal. 
Du  gehst  doch  aus  die  ganze  Welt 
Tomid  durch  die  Nacht',  — 
Weisst  nischt  ergez  ein  Gezelt, 
Wu  dem  Guten  is'  nischt  schlecht  ? 
Me  seht  sie  in  a  Wolken  bald  vergehn, 
Siifzt  un'  entwert :  "  Nein,  nein  !  " 

Sag'  ze  du  mir,  meiu  Seele,  fort, 
Liebe  un'  Hoffnung  derneben, 
Wu  die  Sunn'  geht  auf  jeden  Ort, 
Wu  gefindt  miln  a  ruhig  Leben, 
Wu  kein  Schleclits  is'  nisclit  derbei, 
Me  lebt  nor  in  Freuden, 


CIIRESTOMATHY  263 

eye  has  ever  been  in  tears,  and  the  just  man  is  not 
vexed?  —  The  Wind  remains  mute  and  arrests  its 
course,  sighs  and  answers  :  "  No,  no !  " 


Tell  me,  you  deep,  you  large  Sea,  you  flow  so  far 
around  your  islands  here  and  there,  —  know  you  not 
somewhere  in  some  corner,  where  the  godly  man  may 
find  his  consolation  and  a  safe  place  of  rest  ?  Know 
you  not  the  name  of  that  city  ?  Tell  the  good  word  !  — 
The  Ocean  flows  onward  and  murmurs  :  "  No  !  I  have 
not  seen  such  a  place." 


You  beautiful  Moon,  in  your  glory !  You  look 
everywhere  when  all  is  still  at  night  and  covered  with 
a  black  shroud.  You  pass  over  the  whole  world  ever 
through  the  nights,  —  know  you  not  somewhere  a  tent, 
where  the  good  have  no  sorrow?  —  You  may  see  the 
Moon  disappear  behind  a  cloud,  and  sigh  and  answer  : 
"No,  no!" 


Tell  me,  then,  my  Soul,  and  Love  and  Hope  also,  — 
wherever  the  Sun  passes  is  there  not  to  be  found  a 
quiet  life,  where  no  evil  goes  with  it,  where  one  may 
live  but  in  joy,  where  one  may  be  free  of  sins  and  sor- 
rows, of  troubles  and  of  sufferings  ?  —  They  all  give  the 
one  answer  :  "  They  live  quietly  up  there  in  heaven  !  " 


264  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

Vun  Siind'  un'  Sorgen  is'  man  frei, 

Vun  Zores  un'  vun  Leiden  ? 

See  geben  Alle  ein  Antwort : 

"  Ruhig  lebt  man  in  Himmel  dort !  " 

B.  W.  Ehrenkkanz-Zbarzeb, 

V.  DIWREE   CHOCHMO 

('Sseefer  Musser  Haskel,'  pp.  22,  23) 
Der  Menscli  darf  sein  gut,  un'  klug,  un'  frumm.     Gut 

allein  kiinn  a  Scharlatan  audi  sein  ;  klug  allein  kann 

an  Apikores  iiucli  sein  ;  un'  frumm  allein  kann  a  Narr 

auch  sein. 

Die  grosste   Reichkeit  is'  as  man  is'  gesund ;    das 

grosste  Vergenligen  is'  as  man  hat  a  ruhig  Harz  ;  das 

grosste  Gliick  is'  as  man  is'  frumm,  wie  man  darf  zu 

sein. 

A  grosser  Mensch  is'  wie  a  Feuer  :  sein  mit  ihm  vun 

weiten,  leucht'  er  un'  waremt ;  vun  nahnten,  brennt  er. 

Der  Narr  bei  an  Ungllick  beschuldigt  dem  Anderen  ; 
der  Frummer  beschuldigt  sich  allein  ;  der  Kluger  Kei- 
nem  nit. 

Vun  zu  viel  Ahawo  kiinn  man  iiuch  viel  leiden,  wie 
vun  zu  viel  Ssino  :  J5ssef  hat  zwei  Mai  gelitten,  beide 
Mai  vun  zu  viel  Ahawo,  ein  Mill  vun  Viiter's,  das  andere 
Mai  vun  Potifar's  Weib. 

Nit  alle  Mill  kiinn  miin  gliiuben  Triihren  :  Jossef's 
Briider  hilben  iiuch  geweint,  beschas  see  haben  gebracht 
Jainkefn  das  varblutigte  Hemdel.  e   Z   z    ■ 

VI.  DTE   STIEFMUTTER 
(' Jiidische  Lieder,'  pp.  40-43) 

Auf'n  Bess-hakwores,  unter  a  Mazeewe, 
Hort  sich  bitter  a  Kol  vun  a  Nekeewe ; 


CURESTUMATHY  265 


V.  WORDS   OF   WISDOM 

Man  must  be  good,  and  wise,  and  pious.  Even  a 
charlatan  can  be  good  alone  ;  an  apostate  can  be  wise 
alone  ;  a  fool  can  be  pious  alone. 

The  greatest  riches  is  to  be  well ;  the  greatest  pleas- 
ure is  to  have  a  peaceful  heart ;  the  greatest  happiness 
is  to  be  pious  as  one  ought  to  be. 

A  great  man  is  like  fire  :  approach  it  from  a  distance, 
and  it  shines  and  warms  you  ;  come  close  to  it,  and  it 
burns  you. 

The  fool,  in  misfortune,  accuses  another  of  it ;  the 
pious  man  accuses  himself  ;  the  wise  man  no  one. 

One  may  suffer  from  too  much  love  even  as  from  too 
much  hatred  :  Joseph  had  suffered  twice,  both  times 
from  too  much  love,  once  from  his  father's  love,  a 
second  time  from  that  of  Potiphar's  wife. 

You  cannot  always  believe  tears  :  even  Joseph's  broth- 
ers wept  as  they  brought  to  Jacob  the  bloodstained 
shirt. 

VI.  THE   STEPMOTHER 

In  the  cemetery,  under  a  tombstone  the  bitter  words 
of  a  woman  are  heard  ;  it  is  a  mother  that  cries  :  "  Oh, 


266  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

Das  schreit  a  Mutter  :   "  Oi  weh  mir,  oi  wiind  ! 
Was  thut  a  Stiefmutter  mein  teueren  Kind  ? 

"  Mein  ganzes  Leben,  wfis  ich  hab'  verbracht, 

Is'  dils  nor  gewe'n  a  finstere  Nacht ; 

Mein  Kind  is'  mir  gewe'n  mein  Licht,  mein  Schein,  — 

Itzt  leidet  es  nebech  gross  Zores  un'  Pein. 

"  Mit  Blut  vun  Harzen  hab'  ich  ihm  erzdgen, 

'Ch   hab'   ihm   gewaschen  mit  Triihren  vun  meine 

Augen ;  — 
Itzt  zappt  man  sein  Blut,  man  brecht  seine  Beiner  ; 
Er  schreit,  er  weint,  —  es  helft  ihm  nit  Keiner. 

"  Es  stehen  Menschen  vun  arum  un'  arum  ; 
Was  schweigt  ihr  Alle  ?    Zu  seid  ihr  stumm  ? 
Wenn  euer  Harz  is'  vun  Eisen  un'  Stein, 
Vun  Kind's  heisse  Trahren  darf  es  zugehn. 

"  Ot  seht  !     Die  Stiefmutter  schlagt  ihm  in  Kopp, 
Sie  drapet  sein  Ponim, —  Bhit  rinnt  arab ; 
Sie  schlagt  ihm,  warft  ihm  auf  die  Erd'  anieder  ; 
Sie  beisst  ihm,  reisst  ihm,  brecht  seine  Glieder. 

"Er  schreit  :  —  O  Mutter,  O  Mutter,  helf  mir! 
Wenn  kannst  nit  helfen,  to  nemm  mich  zu  dir!  — 
Steht  auf,  alle  Tote,  steht  auf  geschwind! 
Steht  auf,  alle  Tote,  ratewet  mein  Kind! 

"  Alle  T5te  liegen  ruhig  in  sejer  Ruli' ; 
Zu  Gott's  Kisse-kowed  flieh'  ich  bald  zu. 
Vun  Gott's  Kisse-kowed  well  ich  nit  abtreten, 
Bis  Er  wet  derhoren  mein  Schreien,  mein  Beten." 

"  Ribone-scheholem,  wu  senen  Deine  Kaclnnones? 
Der  Vater  bist  Du  vun  Jessomim  un'  Almones, 
Wie  kannst  Du  sehen,  wie  die  Marschas 
•   Giesst  aus  auf  mein  Jossem  ihr  giftigen  Kas  ? 


CHRESTOMATHY  267 

woe  to  me  !     What  does  the  stepmother  do  to  my  be- 
loved child  ? 

"  ]My  whole  life  that  I  have  passed  was  nothing  but  a 
dark  night  ;  my  child  had  been  my  light,  my  lustre,  — 
and  now  he  suffers  both  sorrow  and  pain. 

"  With  the  blood  of  my  heart  I  have  reared  him,  I 
have  washed  him  with  the  tears  of  my  eyes ;  —  now 
they  tap  his  blood,  they  break  his  bones  ;  he  weeps,  he 
cries,  —  but  no  one  helps  him. 

"  People  stand  a]l  round  about ;  why  are  you  silent  ? 
Are  you  dumb  ?  Even  if  your  heart  is  of  iron  and 
stone,  it  ought  to  melt  from  the  child's  hot  tears. 

"  Now  look  !  The  stepmother  strikes  him  upon  his 
head,  she  scratches  his  face,  —  blood  trickles  down  ;  she 
beats  him,  throws  him  down  on  the  ground  ;  she  bites 
him,  tears  him,  breaks  his  limbs. 

"  He  cries  :  —  O  mother,  O  mother,  help  me  !  If  you 
cannot  help  me  take  me  to  you  !  —  Arise,  all  you  dead, 
arise  quickly  !     Arise,  all  you  dead,  and  save  my  child  ! 

"  All  the  dead  lie  quietly  in  their  rest ;  to  God's  own 
throne  I  shall  soon  fly.  From  God's  own  throne  I  shall 
not  depart,  ere  He  will  hear  my  cries,  my  entreaty." 


"  Lord  of  the  World,  where  are  Your  mercies  ?  You 
are  the  father  of  orphans  and  widows,  — how  can  You 
look  at  the  evil  woman  pouring  forth  her  venomous 
anger  upon  my  orphan  ? 


268  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

"  Meine  junge  Jahren  hast  Dn  mir  abgeschnitten, 
Bist  Du  mechujew  mein  Jossem  zu  hiiten ; 
Vun  deiii  Welt  hab'  ich  nit  geha't  Vergeniigen, 
To  liis  micli  chotsch  ruliig  in  Keewer  einliegen  ! 

"  Wie  kann  ich  in  Keewer  einliegen  beruht, 
Wenn  's  rinnt  mir  arein  mein  Jossem's  Blut  ? 
Wie  kann  ich  zum  Grub  zuriick  sich  umkehren, 
Wenn  mein  Grub  is'  vuU  mit  mein  Jossem's  Trahren  ?  " 

***** 
"  Nu,  schweig  sch5n,  mein  Kind,  sei  ruhig  mein  Ne- 

schome  ! 
Ich  hab'  schon  gehort  vun  Gott  a  Nechome : 
Gott  sagt,  's  wet  sein  zu  deine  Zores  an  End', 
Er  wet  ausloesen  dich  vun  der  Stiefmutter's  Hand'. 

"  Die  Reschas,  die  Stiefmutter  wet  Gott  bestrafen, 
Un'  du,  mein  Kind,  schweig  !  Zu  Gott  sollst  nor  hoffen  ! 
Far  alle  deine  Zores,  far  alle  deine  Leid, 
Wet  Gott  dir  bezahlen  mit  Nechomes  un'  Freud'. 

"  Nu,  schweig  schdn,  mein  Kind,  wisch'  ab  deine  Trah- 
ren ! 
Du  sollst  mich  nit  mehr  vun  mein  Ruh'  storen ! 
Gott  wet  erfiillen  sein  heiliges  Wort ; 
Nu  kann  ich  sch5n  liegen  ruhig  in  mein  Ort." 

M.  Gordon. 

VII.    DIE  MUME  SOSJE 
('  Die  Jiidene,'  pp.  65-67) 
ViEUTE  Scene 
QOhanzi-Ginendel  kummt  arein;  Sosje  un'  Silherseid 
heben  sich  auf  vun  die  Plcize.^ 

Sosje.     Awade,  awade  !     Seht  ihr  ?     O  das  is'  mein 
Schwesterl ! 

SiLBEKSEiD.      (Nemmt  bet  ihr  die  Hand  un'  neigt  sich 
hoeflich.')     Es  freut  mich  Ihre  Kanntschaft. 


CHRESTOMATHY  269 

"You  have  cut  off  my  young  years,  You  ought  at 
least  to  -watch  over  my  child ;  I  have  not  enjoyed  much 
pleasure  in  Your  world,  —  at  least  let  me  lie  in  peace  in 
my  grave ! 

"  How  can  I  lie  in  peace  in  my  grave,  when  my 
orphan's  blood  flows  into  it  ?  How  can  I  return  to  my 
grave,  when  my  grave  is  full  of  the  tears  of  my  orphaned 
child?" 

*  *  ■*  *  •;■;- 

"  Now,  be  silent,  my  child,  be  quiet,  my  own  soul ! 
I  have  had  good  news  from  the  Lord !  God  says  there 
^vill  be  an  end  to  your  troubles,  He  will  save  you  from 
your  stepmother's  hands. 

"  God  will  punish  the  evil  woman,  and  you,  my  child, 
be  quiet  and  hope  in  God  !  For  all  your  sorrows,  for 
all  your  suffering,  God  will  pay  you  with  pleasures  and 

joys. 

"  Now,  be  silent,  my  child,  wipe  off  your  tears !  You 
must  not  disturb  me  in  my  rest !  God  will  fulfil  His 
holy  word ;  and  now  I  may  lie  quietly  in  my  place ! " 


Vn.  AUNT  SOSIE 

Fourth  Scene 

(Chanzi-Crinendel  enters;  Sosie  and  Silherseid  rise 
from  their  seats.') 

Sosie.  Certainly,  certainly !  Do  you  see  ?  Here  is 
my  sister ! 

SiLBERSEiD.  (^Takes  her  hand  and  greets  her  politely.') 
I  am  glad  to  make  your  acquaintance. 


270  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

SosjE.  No,  meine  liebe  Kinderlecli  I  Sitzt  eucli  da 
a  Bissele  !  Plaudert  euch  a  Bissel !  Un'  ich  mus  gehn — 
ihr  sent  junge  Leut',  un'  mir  senen  schon,  clileben,  altere. 
Uns  is'  schon  der  Kopp  versclilagen  mit  andere  Sachen. 
Man  darf  balebosten  in  Stub'.  Sitzt  euch  dfi !  Ich  kumm' 
bald.  {Sie  last  sicht  mveggehn  un'  lehen  der  Thiir  tJiut 
sie  a  Ruf.^  Chanzi-Ginendenju,  mein  Leben !  Auf 
ein  Minut !     (  Chanzi-G-inendel  geht  zu  zu-n  ihr.') 

SosJE.  (Ihr  in  Oher.}  Vergess'  nor  nit,  wu  du  bist 
in  der  Welt !  Weiss  nor  mit  ihm  wie  as6  zu  reden,  — 
der  Iker,  was  weniger  reden !  (Sie  geht  araus  un'  kuckt 
sich  unter  durch  der  Thilr.') 

FiJNFTE  Scene 

(Silherseid  un'  Chanzi-G-inendel  nehmen  Stuhlen  un* 
setzen  sich  Eins  lehen  s  Andere.) 

SiLBERSEiD.  (Auf  der  Seit.)  Ichweiss?  Soil  mich 
aso  wissen  Boes',  wie  ich  weiss,  vun  was-er  a  Sprache 
mit  ihr  anzuheben  reden !  Ta,  la-mir  prliwen !  (Zu 
Chanzi-Ginendeln.,  hoch.)  Et  comment  vous  portez- 
vous,  mademoiselle  ? 

ChAjSTZI-Ginendel.  (Thut  a  Schmeichel.)  Hm ! 
Hm !  Ihr  f  ragt,  zi  bin  ich  noch  a  Mamzell !  Ja ! 
Glaubt  mir,  me  hat  mir  schon  iibergeredt  Schiduchim 
ohn'  an  Eck.  Die  Schadchonim  schlagen  ab  die  Thilren 
bei  mein  Schwester.  Einer  hat  mich  gewollt  nehmen, 
as5  wie  ich  steli'  un'  geh'.  Er  hat  mich  gewollt 
bekleiden  vun  Kopp  bis  Fuss,  waren  er  allein  is'  sehr 
reich,  un'  bei  mir  will  er  nit  ein  Pitak;  abi  die 
Schwester  soil  nor  araussagen  '  Ja.'  Nor  ich  hab'  sich 
betracht,  was  hiib'  ich  sich  da  zu  eilen,  zi  ich  bin  (hi 
schon  asa-n-alte  iNIaid?  Erst  heuntigen  Summer  is'  mir 
gewor'en  fufzehn  Jahr.  (Sie  traeht.)  Sieben  un'  neun 
un'  neun  is  fufzehn. 


CHRESTOMATHY  271 

SosiE.  Well,  my  dear  children !  Sit  here  a  little 
while  !  Talk  to  each  other  !  I  must  go  away  !  You 
are  young  people,  but  we  have  grown  to  be  old.  Our 
head  is  filled  with  worries  of  all  kind.  I  must  look 
after  the  household.  Sit  down !  I  shall  be  back  after 
a  while.  (^She  starts  aivay,  but  calls  back  from  the  door.') 
Darling  Chanzi-Ginendel,  my  dear !  Just  for  a  minute ! 
(JJhanzi-Grinendel  goes  to  her. ) 

SosiE.  (In  a  ivhisper.)  Do  not  lose  your  head  and 
do  not  forget  where  you  are  in  the  world.  Be  sure  you 
say  the  right  thing  to  him,  —  above  all,  don't  talk  too 
much.     (^She  goes  out.,  but  peeps  iii  through  the  door.) 

Fifth  Scene 

(^Silberseid  and  Chanzi-Ginendel  take  their  chairs  and 
seat  themselves  near  each  other.) 

SiLBEKSEiD.  (Aside.)  I  declare  !  May  I  know  of 
something  evil  if  ever  I  know  in  what  language  to  begin 
to  speak  to  her!  Well,  let  us  try.  (^To  Chanzi-(xinendel., 
loud.)     Et  comment  vous  portez-vous,  mademoiselle? 

Chanzi-Ginendel.  (Smiling.)  Hm !  Hm !  You 
want  to  know  if  I  am  still  a  Miss !  Yes,  believe  me, 
they  have  been  making  matches  for  me  without  end. 
The  go-betweens  have  been  tearing  down  the  doors  of 
my  sister's  house.  There  was  one  who  wanted  to  take 
me  just  as  I  am.  He  wanted  to  dress  me  up  from  head 
to  foot,  for  he  is  himself  very  rich,  and  he  does  not  ask 
for  a  nickel  of  mine  ;  he  is  only  w\aiting  for  my  sister 
to  give  her  consent.  But  I  have  thought  over  the 
matter ;  I  thought  there  was  no  hurry  yet,  that  I  was 
not  yet  an  old  maid.  I  am  fifteen  years  this  summer. 
(She  thinks.)     Seven  and  nine  and  nine  is  fifteen. 


272  YIDDISH  LITEEATURE 

SiLBERSEiD.  (^Die  game  Zeit  verwundert,  bei  der  Seit.') 
No,  no !  A  gut  Min  Franzoesiscli !  La-mir  prihven 
weiter!  (^ffoch.^  Haben  Sie  nicht  ein  Bandchen  Sa- 
phir  ? 

Chanzi-Gikendel.  Was  taug'  euch  a  safirn  Ban- 
dele  ?  Awade  auf  a  Halstiichel !  Weiss  ich,  heunt  is' 
der  Kolir  schon  araus  vun  der  Mode.  Heunt  tragt 
man  Havana  oder  Bismarck.  Ich  hab'  erst  nit  lang 
a  Jungermann  geschenkt  as5ns !  Willt  ihr  ?  Kann  ich 
euch  schenken.  ^   Goldfaden. 

VIII.    SEMER  LE-SSIMCHAS  TORE 

('Ssichas  Chulin,'  pp.  30-34) 
1 
Lechajim,  Briider,  lechajim,  lechajim  ! 
Heunt  senen  mir  die  Tore  messajim, 
Heunt  heben  mir  sie  an  noch  a  Mai  wieder ;  — 
Drum  lechajim  ulescholem,  liebe  Briider  ! 
Seid  froehlich  un'  dankt  dem  Gott  dem  lieben 
Far  die  heilige  Tore,  auf  Parmet  geschrieben  ! 

2 
Die  heilige  T5re,  geschrieben  auf  Parmet, 
Is'  doch  unser  Tr5st  in  unser  Armut  ! 
All's  auf  der  Welt  haben  mir  verloren  : 
Der  Bees-hamikdesch  is'  chorew  gewor'en, 
Chorew  das  Land,  wu  mir  senen  gesessen, 
Afile  unser  Loschen  haben  mir  vergessen ; 
Nit  da  unser  Meluche,  nit  da  unser  Kehune, 
Nor  uns  is'  geblieben  unser  Emune. 
Gott  in  Harzen,  die  Tore  in  der  Hand, 
Senen  mir  gegangen  vun  Land  zu  Land, 
Viel  Zores  gelitten,  doch  leben  geblieben, 
Durch  die  heilige  Tore,  auf  Parmet  geschrieben. 


CHRESTOMATHY  273 

SiLBEKSEiD.  {Wondering  all  the  time,  aside.')  Well, 
well !  That's  a  fine  kind  of  French  I  Let  us  try  again  ! 
(^Loud.)     Haben  Sie  nicht  ein  Bandchen  Saphir? 

Chanzi-Gixendel.  What  do  you  want  with  a  sap- 
phire ribbon  ?  Oh,  I  suppose  for  a  tie  !  I  declare,  that 
color  has  now  gone  out  of  fashion.  Now  they  wear 
Havana  or  Bismarck.  I  just  lately  gave  a  young  man 
such  a  ribbon.     If  you  want,  I  will  give  you  one. 


Vm.     SOXG  OF  THE  REJOICING  OF  THE  LAW 

1 

Your  health,  brethren,  your  health !  Your  health  ! 
To-day  we  finish  the  Law,  to-day  we  begin  to  read  it 
anew;  hence,  may  you  prosper  in  peace,  dear  brethren  I 
Be  merry  and  thank  the  kind  Lord  for  the  holy  Law 
written  upon  parchment ! 

2 

The  holy  Law  written  upon  parchment  has  been  our 
consolation  in  our  poverty  !  All  in  the  world  we  have 
lost :  the  Temple  has  been  laid  in  ruins,  in  ruins  the 
land  which  we  have  inhabited ;  even  our  tongue  we 
have  forgotten,  —  we  have  lost  our  kingdom  and  our 
priesthood,  only  our  faith  is  left  to  us.  God  in  our 
hearts,  the  Law  in  our  hands,  we  went  from  land  to 
land,  suffered  many  tribulations,  yet  have  lived  through 
it  all  by  means  of  the  Law  written  upon  parchment. 


274  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

3 
Kummt,  liebe  Briider,  kummt  aher  gicher  ! 
Kammt,  la'  mir  offeiien  die  historische  Biicher ! 
Was   derzaehlt   die    Geschichte?    Was    schreiben    die 

Chronikes  ? 
Nor  Raiibergeschichten,  Maisses  vun  Rasbojnikes ! 
Unser  Geschichte,  aso  gr(5ss  wie  die  Erd', 
Is'  nit  mit  a  Feder,  nor  mit  a  Schwert, 
Nit  mit  Tint'  geschrieben,  nor  mit  Blut  un'  Trahren, 
Nit  in  Leipzig  gedruckt,  nor  in  Goles  dem  schweren, 
Nit  in  Goldschnitt  gebunden,  nor  in  Ketten  un'  Eisen. 
Las  mir  cliotsch  Einer  kummen  un'  weisen, 
Wu  hat  men  uns  nit  verfolgt  un'  vertrieben 
Far  die  heilige  Tore,  auf  Parmet  geschrieben? 

4 

Noch  gar  in  Anheb,  var  ganz  langer  Zeit, 

As  mir  senen  gewesen  noch  Stlicklech  Leut, 

Wie  Balebatim  in  der  Heim  nor  gesessen 

Un'  in  fremde  Haiiser  kein  Tiig'  nit  gegessen, 

Densmal  noch,  ach  !  soil  das  nit  treffen  Keinem 

Was  mir  hiiben  ausgelitten  vun  unsere  Schcheenim  ! 

Wer  red't  schon  dernach,  weh  unsere  Jahren  ! 

As  die  Schcheenim  seinen  Balebatim  gewor'en.  .  .  , 

Un'  mir  haben  gemust  nit  geren,  be5nes, 

Areinziehen  wohnen  bei  see  in  Schcheenes 

Wie  haben  mir  gelebt,  wie  senen  mir  gelegen  ? 

Ach,  ihr  wollt't  schon  besser  gar  nit  friigen  ! 

Wie  Kopplech  Kraut,  wie  a  Haufen  Kiiben, 

Mit  der  heiliger  Tore,  auf  Parmet  geschrieben. 

5 

Zweitausend  Jahr,  a  Kleinigkeit  zu  sagen  ! 
Zweitausend  Jahr  gemattert,  geschlagen  ! 


CHRESTOMATHY  275 

3 

Come,  dear  brethren,  come  quickly  !  Come,  let  us 
open  the  historical  books  !  What  does  history  tell  ? 
What  do  the  chronicles  write  ?  Nothing  but  tales  of 
robbers,  stories  of  highwaymen !  Our  history,  as  large 
as  earth,  has  been  written,  not  with  a  pen,  but  with  a 
sword ;  not  with  ink,  but  with  blood  and  tears ;  has 
been  printed,  not  in  Leipsic,  but  in  heavy  exile  ;  is 
bound,  not  in  gold  carving,  but  in  chains  and  iron. 
Let  a  man  come  and  show  me  where  they  have  not 
persecuted  us  and  expelled  us  for  the  holy  Law  written 
upon  parchment! 


4 

In  the  very  beginning,  a  long  time  ago,  when  we  still 
were  of  some  importance,  when  we  were  sitting  at  home 
and  did  not  lodge  in  strangers'  homes  —  alas,  may  that 
not  befall. any  one,  what  we  have  suffered  from  our 
neighbors !  Not  to  mention  later  —  woe  unto  our 
years !  —  when  our  neighbors  became  our  masters. 
.  .  .  And  we  were  compelled  against  our  will  to 
take  lodgings  in  their  homes.  How  did  we  live,  how 
did  we  rest  ?  Oh,  you  had  better  not  ask  at  all ! 
Like  cabbage  heads,  like  turnip  heaps,  with  our  holy 
Law  written  upon  parchment. 


5 

Two  thousand  years,  no  small  matter   that !     Two 
thousand   years   of    torture   and   vexation !     Seventy- 


276  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

Sieben  iin'  siebezig  finstere  D5res 

Gestoppt  mit  Zores,  gefiillt  mit  Gseeres ! 

As  ich  wollt'  nehmen  derzaehlen  jede  Gseere, 

Wollt'  heiint  nit  gewe'n  Ssimchas-T5re  ; 

Nor  das  darf  ich  gar  nit,  es  is'  sehr  gut 

Bei  Jedem  eingeschrieben  in  sein  March,  in  sein  Blut. 

Mir  haben  All's  ausgehalten,  All's  aweggegeben, 

Unser  Geld,  unser  Kowed,  unser  Gesund,  iin'  Leben, 

Wie  a  Mai  Chane  ihre  Kinder,  die  sieben,  — 

Far  die  heilige  Tore,  auf  Parmet  geschrieben. 

6 

Un'  itzt  ?     Is'  sch5n  besser  ?     Last  man  uns  zuf rieden  ? 
Hat  man  schon  a  Mai  derkennt,  as  mir  Jiiden 
Senen  auch  Menschen  aso  wie  die  Andern  ? 
Wellen  mir  nit  mehr  in  der  Welt  arumwandern  ? 
"Wet  man  sich  auf  uns  mehr  nit  beklagen? 
Das  weiss  ich  nit,  das  kann  ich  euch  nit  sagen. 
Eins  weiss  ich,  es  lebt  noch  der  alter  Gott  oben, 
Die  alte  T5re  unten  un'  der  alter  Gliiuben  ; 
Drum  sorgt  nit  un'  hofft  auf  Gott  dem  lieben 
Un'  auf  die  heilige  Tore,  auf  Parmet  geschrieben ! 

7 
Lechajim,  Briider,  lechajim,  lechajim  ! 
Heunt  senen  mir  die  Tore  messajim, 
Heunt  heben  mir  sie  an  noch  a  Mai  wieder :  — 
Drum  lechajim,  lescholem,  liebe  Briider  ! 
Sorgt  nit  un'  hofft  auf  Gott  dem  lieben 
Un'  auf  die  heilige  Tore,  auf  Parmet  geschrieben  ! 

J.  L.  Gordon. 

TX.     DIE   KLATSCIIE 

('Die  Klatsche,'  Odessa,  1889,  pp.  17-20) 
Auf  dem  Feld,  seh'  ich,  fiittern  sich  panske  Zapes, 
Eslen,  ganze  Tabunes  Ferd,  was  haben  a  Jiches-brief, 


CHRESTOMATHY  277 

seven  gloomy  generations  surfeited  with  sorrows,  filled 
with  misfortunes !  Were  I  to  begin  to  tell  all  the 
persecutions,  we  should  not  have  the  Rejoicing  of  the 
Law  to-day ;  but  I  need  not  do  that,  it  is  too  well 
written  in  each  man's  marrow,  in  his  blood.  We  have 
suffered  all,  given  away  all,  our  money,  our  honor, 
our  health,  our  lives,  as  Hannah  once  her  seven  chil- 
dren, —  for  the  holy  Law  written  upon  parchment. 


6 

And  now?  Is  it  better?  Do  they  leave  us  in 
peace  ?  Have  they  come  to  recognize  that  we  Jews  are 
also  men  like  all  others?  Shall  we  no  longer  wander 
about  in  the  world  ?  Will  they  no  longer  complain  of 
us?  That  I  do  not  know,  that  I  cannot  tell  you. 
Thus  much  I  know,  there  still  lives  the  old  God  above, 
the  old  Law  below,  and  the  old  faith  ;  therefore  do  not 
worry,  and  hope  in  the  kind  Lord  and  in  the  holy  Law 
written  upon  parchment  ! 

7 

Your  health,  brethren,  your  health  !  To-day  we  fin- 
ish the  Law,  to-day  we  begin  to  read  it  anew  ;  hence, 
may  you  prosper  in  peace,  dear  brethren  !  Do  not 
worry,  and  hope  in  the  kind  Lord  and  in  the  Law 
written  upon  parchment ! 


IX.     THE   DOBBIN 

In  the  field  I  see  feeding  noble  goats,  asses,  whole 
herds  of  horses  who  have  genealogies  that  prove  their 


278  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

as  see  staminen  araus  vun  edle  Eltern.  Einems  Seede 
is'  an  englischer  Oger,  was  hat  varzeitens,  durchfah- 
reiidig  durch  dera  Land  Kenoan,  Chassene  gelia't  mit 
an  arabisclier  Schkape.  Dem  Auderens  Babe  wachst 
vun  a  beriihmter  Mischpoche,  was  hat  in  Leben  genug 
Pulwer  geschmeckt,  un'  Jenems  Alter-babe  hat  genos- 
sen  a  gute  Erziehung,  a  Edukazje,  ergez  in  a  beriihm- 
ten  Sawod,  is'  gewesen  a  Melumedes  un'  hat  in  ihr 
Zeit  gegeben  Konzert  in  Tanzen  un'  SjDrin'gen  in-einem 
mit  noch  assach  gebildete,  gelernte  Ferd.  Demi  ihr 
musst  wissen,  as  bei  Ferd  spielt  Jiches  a  grosse  Rolje, 
bei  see  kuckt  man  stark  auf  edel  Blut,  un'  die  was 
fun  a  guten  Sawod  heissen  edel  oder  wohlgeborene. 
Die  dasige  edele  Ferd  haben  sich  gefiittert  frank  un' 
frei,  senen  iiuch  gegangen  in  Schaden,  kalje  gemacht 
die  Twues,  welche  iireme  Pauern  haben  gesaet  mit 
Schweiss  nebech,  un'  man  hat  sich  nischt  wissendig 
gemacht,  see  nischt  gesagt  kein  umtarbisch  Wort.  Die 
Ferd  haben  gesprungen,  gehirset,  gedriget  mit  die 
Filss'.  Sejer  Koach,  sejer  Starkkeit,  un'  sejer  Wild- 
keit  is'  gewe'n  "  schelo  kederech  hatewa  "  !  Plutzlim 
hor'  ich  vun  der  weitens  a  schrecklich  Geschrei,  a  Rasch 
vun  Menschen  un'  a  Billen  vun  Hiind'.  Ich  hab'  tchilas 
gemeint,  das  haben  die  Pauern  sich  zunaufgenummen 
un'  liiufen  mit  a  Geschrei,  arauszutreiben  die  panske 
Zapes,  die  Ferd  vmi  sejere  Twues  ;  nor  fiber  nein. 
Die  Koles  haben  sich  alls  derweitert  un'  sich  vartragen 
gar  in  ein  ander  Seit'.  Ich  bin  gewe'n  zikawe  un' 
gegangen  nach  dem  Kol,  gegangen  bis  ich  bin  gekum- 
men  zu  a  ganz  grossen  Platz  varwachsen  mit  Gras. 
Dort  hat  var  meine  Augen  sich  viirgestellt  a  schreck- 
liche  Scene.  Jlinglech,  Kundeessim,  haben  vun  alle 
Seiten  sich  gejagt  nach  a  darer,  a  miigerer  Klatsche, 
geworfen  Steiner  un'  angereizt  auf  ihr  a  ganze  Tschate 


CHRESTOMATilY  279 

descent  from  aristocratic  parents.  Tlie  grandfather  of 
one  had  been  an  English  steed  who  once,  during  a  jour- 
ney through  the  country  of  Canaan,  had  been  married 
to  an  Arabian  mare.  Again,  the  grandmother  of  an- 
other was  descended  from  a  famous  family,  and  had 
smelled  much  powder  in  her  lifetime,  while  the  great- 
grandmother  of  still  another  had  been  well  educated  in 
some  famous  stud,  and  had,  in  her  time,  given  perform- 
ances in  dancing  and  jumping  in  company  with  many 
other  educated,  well-trained  horses.  For  you  must 
know  that  with  horses  breed  is  of  great  importance  ; 
much  attention  is  paid  to  noble  blood,  and  those  who 
come  from  a  good  stud  are  called  noble  or  well  born. 
These  noble  horses  were  grazing  at  their  will ;  now  and 
then  they  did  some  damage  by  ruining  the  standing 
grain  which  poor  peasants  had  sown  in  the  sweat  of  their 
brows,  and  no  one  noticed  that,  or  said  a  harsh  word 
to  them.  The  horses  jumped  about,  neighed,  kicked. 
Their  strength,  their  power,  and  their  wildness  were  out 
of  the  common.  Suddenly  I  heard  from  afar  a  terrible 
noise,  a  hollowing  of  men  and  barking  of  dogs.  At 
first,  I  thought  that  the  peasants  had  come  together  and 
were  starting  on  a  run  with  a  noise,  in  order  to  drive 
out  the  noble  goats  and  the  horses  from  their  corn  ;  but 
no !  .  .  .  The  voice  grew  more  distant,  and  could  be 
heard  from  an  entirely  different  direction.  I  became 
curious,  and  followed  the  noise  until  I  came  to  a  very 
large  place  overgrown  with  grass.  There  a  frightful 
scene  presented  itself  to  my  eyes.  Street  urchins  were 
pursuing  from  all  sides  a  thin,  lean  dobbin  ;  they  threw 
stones  at  her,  and  urged  on  against  her  a  whole  pack  of 
dogs  of  all  kinds.  Some  of  these  dogs  were  whining, 
barking,  gnashing  their  teeth  ;  others  again  were  biting 
her  as  best  they  could.     I  could  not  stand  there  looking 


280  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

Hiind'  vuii  allerlei  Minim.  A  Theil  Hiind'  haben  gar 
geheult,  gebillt,  gekrizt  die  Zaelm',  a  Theil  aber  haben 
auch  take  gebissen,  wie  nor  see  haben  gekiinnt.  Ich 
hab'  nischt  gekiinnt  stehn  un'  zusehn  asa  Majsse-ra  vun 
der  weitens.  Einmal  is'  doch  glatt  a  Rachmones,  das 
Menschlichkeit  derlast  nischt  zuzusehn  asa  Achsorjes, 
un'  zweitens,  awekgenummen  schon  Rachmones,  hat 
doch  die  Schkape  auf  mir  take  a  gr5ss  Recht  geha't, 
ich  soil  ihr  helfen,  machmas  ich  bin  eingekiinft  in  der 
Chewre  "  Zar-bal-hachaim,"  was  ihr  is'  nischt  niche, 
man  soil  peinigen,  anthon  Leid  lebedige  Beschaffenisch, 
warim  see  senen  iiuch  Bossor-wedom,  Fleisch  un'  Blut, 
un'  haben  auch  das  Recht  zu  leben  auf  Gotts  Welt  wie 
mir.  Ich  will  mich  da  nischt  areinlasen  in  dem  alten 
un'  sehr  tiefen  Schmues  mikoach  dem  Menschen  un' 
die  Beheemes.  Las  sich  sein  chotsche  wie  Jene  sagen, 
as  ich,  Mensch,  bin  der  Tachles,  der  Zimmes,  der  Antik 
vun  alle  Beschaffenisch  ;  nor  zu  lieb  mir,  Tachschit,  zu 
lieb  mein  Bederfenisch  un'  mein  Vergeniigen  leben  see 
alle  auf  der  Welt  ;  las  sich  sein  chotsch,  as  ich,  Tach- 
schit, bin  der  Meelach,  der  Oberharr  iiber  alle  Beheemes, 
was  musen  mir  dienen,  was  musen  gehn  in  Joch  un' 
makriw  sein  far  mir  sejer  Leben,  —  A'^un  destwegen, 
dacht  sich  mir,  wie  bald  afile  a  Klatsche,  asa  proste 
Podane,  hat  auf  mir  eppes  a  Recht,  mus  ich  al-pi 
Din,  wenn  nischt  al-pi  Menschlichkeit,  akegen  ihr  joze 
sein.   .   .  . 

"  Kundeessim  !  "  sag'  ich,  zugehendig  zu  die  weisse 
Chewre,  ''  Was  ha't  ihr,  ich  bett'  euch,  zu  der  Schkape 
nebech  ?  " 

A  Theil  vun  die  Kundeessim  haben  mich  garnischt 
gehort,  andere  haben  jii  eppes  wie  gehort  un'  gelacht 
mit  Ases.  A  Theil  Hiind'  haben  mich  eppes  varwun- 
dert  angekuckt,  etliche  haben  gebillt  vun  der  weitens, 


CHRESTOMATHY  '  281 

quietly  at  such  misdeeds.  In  the  first  place  it  is  a  ques- 
tion of  pity  —  humanity  does  not  permit  to  look  un- 
moved at  such  wrong-doing.  Secondly,  leaving  pity 
out,  the  mare  had  a  great  right  to  my  protection,  for 
I  am  a  member  of  the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of 
Cruelty  to  Animals,  which  is  opposed  to  vexing  and 
torturing  any  living  being,  for  they,  too,  are  flesh  and 
blood,  and  have  the  same  right  to  live  in  God's  world 
that  we  have.  ...  I  shall  not  enter  here  into  the  old 
and  profound  discussion  in  regard  to  man  and  beast. 
Let  it  be  as  they  say  that  I,  man,  am  the  highest  aim, 
the  perfection  of  all  creation,  that  only  for  me  and  for 
my  wants  and  pleasures  they  all  live  upon  this  world. 
Let  it  be  that  I,  man,  am  the  king,  the  supreme  lord  of 
all  the  animals  who  must  serve  me,  must  walk  under 
the  yoke  and  sacrifice  their  lives  for  me,  nevertheless, 
it  seems  to  me  that  even  to  that  dobbin,  who  is  my  low- 
est subject,  I  have  certain  duties,  and  I  must,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  law  if  not  with  humanity,  do  what  is 
right  by  her.   .  .  . 


"  Urchins  !  "  I  said,  as  I  approached  the  crowd  of  wild 
boys,  "  what  have  you,  I  pray,  against  that  mare  ?  " 

Some  of  the  urchins  paid  no  attention  at  all  to  me  ; 
others  did  hear  me,  but  they  laughed  at  me  with  brazen 
faces.  Some  of  the  dogs  looked  at  me  somewhat  aston- 
ished;   others  barked  at  me  from    afar,   while    others 


282  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

noch  etliche  liabeii  ausgeschtschiret  die  Augen,  gekuckt 
schrecklich  boes,  senen  gewe'n  bereit  anzufallen  auf  mir 
vun  hinten  un'  ziireisseii  micli  auf  Stlicker. 

"  Kundeessim  !  "  ruf  ich  raich  noch  a  Mai  an.  "  Was 
jagt  ihr  un'  peinigt  Gotts  Beschaffenisch,  die  Klatsche 
nebech?" 

"A  schoener  Nebech  !  "  haben  see  mit  Gespott  geent- 
wert.  "  Far  was  f iittert  sie  sich  da  ?  Far  was  fiittert 
sich  die  schoene  Klatsche  da  ?  " 

"  Steutsch  ! "  thu'  ich  a  Sag,  "  da  is'  doch  a  Pasche, 
da  fiitteren  sich  doch  alle  Stadt-beheemes  vun  ebige 
Jahren  !  " 

"  Die  Stadt-beheemes,"  haben  see  geentwert,  "  senen 
eppes  andersch,  see  mogen  un'  sie  tor  nischt." 

"  Far  was  nischt  sie?"  ruf  ich  mich  an,  "  sie  hat  denn 
nischt  kein  Neschome  wie  alle  Stadt-beheemes?" 

"Efscher  take  nischt ! "  haben  see  a  Sag  gethan. 

"  Schkozim  ! "  sag'  ich  zu  see,  "  aber  sie  hat  doch 
sicher  a  Balebos,  was  zahlt  in  der  Stadt  Zinsch  un' 
alle  andere  Abgaben.  Sie  is'  doch  audi  a  Stadt- 
beheeme ! " 

"  Ot  das  take  weissen  mir  nischt  !  "  entwern  see  mir 
mit  a  Gespott.  "  Ob  sie  is'  iiuch  a  Stadt-beheeme,  das 
is'  erscht  a  Schaile  ! " 

"  Es  mag  sein,  wie  es  will  sich,"  hab'  ich  gesagt, 
"  aber  die  Klatsche  is'  doch  derweil  hungerig,  sie  will 
doch  nebech  essen  !  " 

"  Las  sie  essen  Werem,  Krtink',  Makes ! "  sagen  see 
zuriick.  "Was  hat  sie  zu  uns?  P'ar  wils  soil  a  solche 
auffressen  un'  zunehmen  bei  die  Stadt-beheemes?" 

"  Gaslonim  ! "  hab'  ich  schon  mehr  nischt  gekonnt 
mich  einhalten  un'  a  Geschrei  getlian  mit  Kas.     "  Far 


CHRESTOMATHY  283 

again  opened  their  eyes  wide  open,  scanned  me  in  great 
anger,  and  were  ready  to  fall  upon  me  from  behind,  and 
to  tear  me  to  pieces. 

"Urchins  !  "  I  cried  out  again.  "Why  do  you  pur- 
sue and  torture  one  of  God's  creatures  —  the  miserable 
dobbin?" 

"  Miserable  indeed  ! "  they  cried  out  scofSngly.  "  Why 
does  she  graze  here  ?  Why  does  that  fine-looking  mare 
graze  here  ?  " 

"How  is  that?"  I  exclaimed,  "is  this  not  a  pasture, 
and  have  not  all  the  animals  of  the  town  grazed  here 
from  time  immemorial  I  " 

"  The  animals  of  the  town,"  they  answered,  "  are 
an  entirely  different  matter ;  they  may,  but  she  may 
not." 

"  Why  not  she  ?  "  I  called  out,  "  has  she  not  a  soul 
like  all  the  animals  of  the  town  ?  " 

"  Maybe  she  has  not  !  "  they  retorted. 

"  Urchins  !  "  I  said  to  them,  "  but  she  certainly  has 
a  master  who  pays  all  the  taxes  of  the  town  and  other 
duties.     She  is  a  town  animal  like  all  the  others  !  " 

"  That's  exactly  what  we  do  not  know ! "  they  an- 
swered in  scorn.  "  Whether  she  is  a  town  animal, 
that's  the  question  !  " 

"  Let  it  be  as  it  may,"  I  said,  "  but  in  the  mean- 
while the  mare  is  hungry  and  Avants  to  eat ! " 

"  Let  her  eat  worms,  get  sick  and  die  !  "  they  replied. 
"  What  does  she  want  of  us  ?  Why  should  such  a 
creature  eat  up  that  which  belongs  to  the  town  ani- 
mals ?  " 

"Murderers!"  I  could  no  longer  hold  myself  and 
cried  out  in  anger.    "  Why  do  you  not  pay  any  attention 


284  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

was  kuckt  ihr  nischt,  was  dort  gelien  arum  panske 
Zapes,  ganze  Tabunes  Ferd  zwischen  die  Twues  un' 
fressen  auf  arera  Blut,  arem  Schweiss  iiebech?  Da 
vargiinut  ihr  nischt  a  bidner  Schkape  a  Haufen  Gras 
un'  es  art  euch  klal  nischt,  as  dort  thuen  Ferd  an  a 
Jam  Heskejes  un'  machen  umgliicklich  viel  Menschen. 
Das  nor  allein,  was  see  zutreten,  was  see  machen  kalje 
glatt  aso,  woUt'  genug  gewe'n  der  Klatsche  bis  Kinds- 
kinds-kiuds-kinder !  Kundeessim,  ihr  ha't  nischt  kein 
Joscher  afile  auf  a  Haar,  ihr  sent  Keinem  nischt  getreu 
un'  ihr  hat  noch  a  Hose  sich  arauszustellen  klomerscht 
far  die  Stadt-beheemes  !  " 

"  He,  he  !  "  haben  die  Kundeessim  sich  angerufen,  "  er 
is'  gar  in  Kas,  er  frilgt  gar  eppes  Kasches !  Kummt 
Chewre  !  Was  tiiug'  uns  die  Taines?  Las  er  sich 
schreien  !    Wer  hort  ihm?     Kummt,  Chewre,  kummt ! " 

Ein  Kundas  hat  a  Feif  gethan  un'  bald  haben  die 
weisse  Chewre  mit  sejere  Hiind'  sich  gelast  nach  der 
Klatsche  un'  auf  ihr  wieder  angefallen.  A  lange  Zeit 
hat  man  sie  getrieben,  gerissen  un'  gebissen,  bis  man 
hat  sie  zum  Ssof  vartriebeu  in  a  tief er  Grub  un'  dort  hat 
sie  sich  eingegrisnet  in  Blote. 

S.  J.  Abramowitsch. 

X.   TUNEJADEWKE 

('Binjaiuin  ha-Schlischi,'  pp.  6-9) 

Tunejadewke,  dfis  kleine  Stiidtel,  is'  a  varworfen 
Winkel,  an  der  Seit'  vun  dem  potschtowen  Trakt, 
kimat  abgerissen  vun  der  Welt  as5,  as  wenn  a  Mai 
macht  sich,  Einer  kummt  ahin  zufahren,  offent  man 
die  Fenster,  die  Thiiren,  un'  miin  kuckt  varwundert  an 
dem  frischen  Parschon ;  Schcheenim  friigen  Einer  beim 
Andern,  arauskuckendig  vun  die  offene  Fenster,  assach 
mehr  wie  vier  Kasches :  Ha,  wer  soil  es  asons  sein  ? 


CHRESTOMATHT  285 

to  the  noblemen's  goats,  the  whole  herds  of  horses  who 
run  around  in  the  grain  and  eat  up  the  blood  and  the 
sweat  of  the  poor  ?  Here  you  begrudge  the  poor  dob- 
bin a  handful  of  hay,  and  do  not  at  all  care  that  there 
the  horses  are  doing  no  end  of  damage  and  making 
many  people  unhappy.  That  alone  which  they  trod 
under  foot,  which  they  simply  destroy,  would  be  enough 
for  the  mare  and  her  future  generations  !  You,  urchins, 
have  no  sense  of  justice,  not  a  hair's-breadth  of  it,  you 
are  not  true  to  anybody,  and  yet  you  take  it  upon  your- 
self to  take  the  part  of  the  town  animals  !  " 

"  Ho,  ho  !  "  the  urchins  exclaimed,  "  he  is  getting 
angry,  and  he  asks  questions  of  us  !  Come,  boys  ! 
What  is  the  use  of  discussing  ?  Let  him  cry  !  Pay 
no  attention  to  him  !     Come,  boys,  come  !  " 

An  urchin  blew  his  whistle,  and  the  rude  company 
started  with  their  dogs  to  attack  once  more  the  dobbin. 
They  drove  her  for  a  long  time ;  she  was  bitten  and 
torn  until  at  last  she  was  driven  into  a  deep  ditch 
where  she  sank  down  in  the  mud. 


X.   PARASITEYILLE 

The  small  town  of  Parasiteville  is  a  forgotten  corner 
of  the  earth,  to  one  side  of  the  highway,  almost  torn 
away  from  the  world.  When  by  accident  some  one 
visits  it,  the  windows  and  doors  are  opened  and  people 
look  in  astonishment  at  the  stranger ;  neighbors  ask  of 
each  other,  as  they  look  out  of  the  oj)en  windows,  more 
than  the  usual  four  questions :  I  wonder  who  he  may 
be  ?    How  did  he  all  of  a  sudden  get  here  ?    What  may 


286  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

Vun  wannen  hat  er  plutzlim  viin  cler  heller  Haut  aher 
sich  genummen  ?  Was  kann  asolcher  bedarf  en  ?  Eppes 
aso  glatt  kiinn  es  nit  sein,  glatt  as5  denn  nemmt  man 
un'  man  kummt?  Mistome  liegt  dock  da  eppes,  was 
man  mus  es  dergehn.  .  .  .  Derbei  will  Itlicher  araus- 
weisen  sein  Chochme,  sein  Genitschaft,  un'  Bauch- 
swores  fallen  wie  Mist.  Alte  Lent'  derzaehlen  Maisses 
un'  brengen  Mesckolim  vun  Orchim,  was  senen  in  dem 
un'  dem  Jahr  gekummen  aher  zufahren,  Balamzojes 
sagen  mikoach  dem  Wortlich,  a  Bissel  eppes  nischt 
kein  schoene ;  Mannsbill'  halten  sich  bei  die  Bardlich 
un'  schmeichlen  ;  alte  Weiber  siedlen  ab  die  Balamzojes 
auf  Katowes,  mit  a  Boeser  i  mit  a  Laclien  in  einem  ; 
junge  Weiblich  derlangen  vun  die  arabgelasene  Augen 
a  geb5genem  Kuck  vun  unten  arauf,  halten  die  Hand' 
auf'n  Maul  un'  sticken  sich  lachendig  in  Kulak.  Der 
Schraues  mikoach  dem  dasigen  Injen  kaukelt  sich  vun 
Stub'  zu  Stub'  wie  a  Kaul  vun  Schnee  un'  werd  kau- 
klendig  sich  all's  grosser,  grosser,  bis  er  kaukelt  sich 
arein  in  Bessmedresch  ssame  unter'n  Owen,  in  dem  Ort, 
was  ahin  varkauklen  sich  alle  Schmuessen  vun  allerlei 
Injonim,  hen  S5des  vun  Stubsachen,  hen  Politike  mi- 
kdach  Stambul,  mikoach  dem  Toger  u-mikoach  Kiren, 
hen  Geldgeschtiften  mikoach  Rothschild's  Varmogen  in 
Vargleich  mit  die  grosse  Prizim  un'  die  andere  gewisse 
Negidim,  we-hen  Potschten  mikoach  die  Gseeres  u-mi- 
k5ach  die  rothe  Jiidlich  uchdome,  un'  was  dort  rasbi- 
rajet  see  kesseeder  a  besunder  Komitiit  vun  schoene 
l)etrigte  Jiiden,  was  sitzen  sttindig  a  ganzen  Tag  bis 
spiit  in  der  Nacht,  senen  mafker  Weib  i  Kinder  un' 
giben  sich  mit  die  alle  Geschiiften  take  emes  getreu 
ab,  thuen  sejer  Sach'  bischleemes,  glatt  aso  le-Schem- 
schomajim,  nischt  zu  nehmen  far  sejer  Miih',  far  sejer 
Praze,  afile  a  zubrochenem  Heller. 


CHRESTOMATHY  287 

such  a  one  want  here  ?  There  is  something  wrong,  for 
without  good  reason  no  one  woukl  come  to  this  place ! 
There  is  some  secret  in  it  which  I  must  find  out.  .  .  . 
And  each  one  wants  to  show  his  wisdom,  his  skill,  and 
all  kinds  of  speculations  come  as  fast  as  hail.  All  tell 
stories  and  make  allusions  to  strangers  who  had  visited 
them  in  such  and  such  a  year ;  jesters  relate  anecdotes 
about  it,  and  they  are  not  always  within  the  bounds 
of  propriety ;  men  twirl  their  beards  and  smile ;  old 
women  jokingly  scold  the  jesters,  angered  and  laughing 
at  the  same  time  ;  young  married  women  stealthily  look 
upwards  with  their  drooping  eyes,  hold  their  hands 
before  their  mouths  and  choke  with  laughter.  The 
conversation  in  regard  to  that  matter  rolls  on  from 
house  to  house  like  a  snowball  and  rolling  grows  larger, 
larger,  until  it  rolls  into  the  synagogue  near  the  stove, 
the  very  place  where  find  their  final  abode  gossips  of 
all  kinds,  whether  domestic  secrets,  or  politics  in  re- 
gard to  Stamboul,  in  regard  to  the  Mogul  and  Cyrus, 
or  money  matters  regarding  the  wealth  of  Rothschild 
as  compared  with  that  of  great  lords  and  the  other  well- 
known  millionnaires,  or  reports  of  persecutions  and  the . 
tribe  of  the  Red  Jews,  and  so  forth.  And  there  these 
matters  are  discussed  one  after  the  other  by  a  special 
committee  of  pious  Jews  advanced  in  years,  who  sit 
there  whole  days  until  late  into  the  night,  who  abandon 
their  wives  and  children  and  earnestly  devote  them- 
selves to  those  affairs,  doing  their  business  in  peace, 
just  for  the  glory  of  God,  without  receiving  a  broken 
penny  for  their  labor  and  their  work. 


288  YIDDISH  LITERATUEE 

Vun  dem  dasigen  Komitat  gehen  oft  die  Injonim 
aweg  in  Bad  auf  der  oberster  Bank,  iin'  in  a  polner 
Ssobranje  vun  Stadt-balebatim  wer'en  see  dort  utwer- 
det,  "  wehakol  schorir  wekajom,"  as  dernach  sollen  afile 
kummen  kol  Malchej  Misrach  un'  Majrew,  sich  stellen 
mit  dem  Kopp  arab  un'  mit  die  Fiiss'  arauf,  wellen  see 
gar  nischt  poeln.  Der  Toger  is'  schier  ein  Mai  nischt 
uraglucklich  gewor'en  in  asa  Ssobranje  auf  der  ober- 
ster Bank,  wenn  etliche  juste  Balebatim  sollen  nischt 
gewe'n  halten  mit  ilim  Blatt,  wer  weisst,  wu  er  wollt' 
itzt  angesparrt.  Rothschild  nebech  hat  schier  nit  var- 
loren  dort  eppes  a  zehn,  fufzehn  Milljon ;  derfar  hat 
ihm  Gott  geholfen  in  a  Paar  Wochen  arum :  der  Olem 
is'  gewe'n,  wie  man  sagt,  begelufin ;  auf  der  oberster 
Bank  is'  grad'  gewe'n  a  Bissel  leblich;  die  Besemlich 
haben  sich  gehoben,  —  un'  man  hat  ihm  mit  a  Mai 
zugelast  rein  Vardienst  akegen  akan  Milljon  Karblich! 

Die  Einwohner  allein  in  Tunejadewke  senen  nebech 
kimat  alle,  lo-aleechem,  grosse  Ewj5nim,  starke  Dal- 
fonim.  Nor  dem  Emes  mus  man  sagen,  see  senen 
froehliche  Ewjonim,  lustige  Kabzonim,  wilde  Bal-bito- 
chens.  As  man  soil,  a  Steiger,  plutzlim  a  Friig  geben 
a  Tunejadewker  Jiiden,  vun  wannen  un'  wie  aso  er  is 
sich  mefarnes,  bleibt  er  tchilas  stehn  wie  zumischt, 
weisst  nebech  nischt,  was  zu  entwern,  nor  spiiter  a 
Bissel  aber  kummt  er  zu  sich  un'  entwert  bitmimes : 
Ich,  wie  arum  ich  leb',  ich?  Et,  's  is'  da  a  Gott,  sag' 
ich  euch,  ot-o,  was  varlast  nischt  alle  seine  Beschiiffe- 
nisch,  Er  schickt  zu  un'  wet  mistome  weiter  zuschicken, 
sag'  ich  euch,  ot-o !  —  Fort,  was  thut  ihr  asons  ?  Ha't 
ihr  chotsch  eppes  was  's  is'  far  a  Meloche  oder  a  Par- 
nosse  in  der  Hand?  —  Gelobt  is'  ha-Schem-jisborach! 
Ich  hub',  borchaschem,  as5  wie  ihr  kuckt  mich  an,  ot-o, 
a  Matone  vun  sein  lieben  Namen,  a  Keele,  a  Kol-negine, 


CHRESTOMATHY  289 

From  this  committee  the  affairs  are  frequently  trans- 
ferred to  the  upper  bench  in  the  bathhouse,  and  in  a 
plenary  assembly  of  householders  they  are  confirmed, 
"  resolved  and  decreed."  If  after  that  even  all  the  kings 
of  the  East  and  the  West  were  to  come  and  walk  with 
their  heads  downwards  and  their  feet  in  the  air,  they 
could  not  move  them  to  change  their  decrees.  The 
Mogul  came  once  very  near  falling  into  misfortune  in 
such  an  assembly  of  the  higher  bench ;  if  some  of  the 
householders  had  not  taken  his  part,  who  knows  where 
he  would  now  be  resting  his  head.  Rothschild  very 
nearly  lost  there  ten  or  fifteen  millions ;  but  God  came 
to  his  rescue  a  few  weeks  later :  the  people  felt,  as  they 
say,  in  high  spirits ;  all  was  alive  upon  the  highest 
bench ;  the  bathing  brooms  were  dancing  over  their 
backs,  and  they  all  at  once  gave  him  a  clean  gain  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  million  roubles. 

Nearly  all  the  inhabitants  of  Parasiteville  are,  may  it 
be  no  evil  omen  to  you,  nothing  but  poor  people  and 
quite  destitute.  But  the  truth  must  be  told,  they  are 
merry  beggars,  joyful  mendicants,  possessed  of  un- 
bounded hope.  If  one,  for  example,  suddenly  asks  a 
Parasiteville  Jew  where  and  how  he  manages  to  make 
a  living,  he  stops  at  first  bewildered,  and  does  not  know 
what  to  answer,  but  after  a  while  he  collects  himself 
and  answers  in  good  spirits  :  I,  how  I  make  a  living,  I  ? 
Well,  there  is  a  God,  I  tell  you,  you  see,  who  does  not 
abandon  His  creatures ;  He  sends  us  a  living  and  will 
no  doubt  continue  to  send  us,  I  tell  you !  —  After  all, 
what  is  your  occupation?  Have  you  some  kind  of 
trade  that  you  ply,  or  have  you  some  kind  of  in- 
come ?  —  Praised  be  the  Lord !  I  have,  thanks  to  the 
Lord,  as  you  see  me,  a  gift  from  Him,  a  good  voice,  and 
I  lead  the  prayers  of  the  Mussafim  on  the  great  holidays 


•OT^- 


290  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

un'  dawen'  Mussofim  Jomim-norojim  in  der  Swiwe  ;  ich 
bill  a  Mohel  un'  a  Maze-riidler,  Einer  in  der  Welt ;  ich 
fiilir'  a  Mai  aiis  a  Scliidecli,  fiihr'  ich  aus.  Ich  hab'  a 
Staat,  wie  ihr  kuckt  mich  an,  ot-o,  in  der  Schul' ; 
heunt  halt'  ich  iiuch,  zwischen  uns  soil  es  bleiben,  a 
Schenkel,  was  melkt  sich  zu  bisslich ;  ich  hab'  a  Zieg', 
was  melkt  sich  ohn'  Anore  sehr  gut,  un'  hab'  nischt 
weit  vun  dannen  a  reichen  Korew,  ot-o,  was  last  sich 
unter  a  schlechter  Zeit  iiuch  a  Bissel  melken.  Heunt, 
chuz  die  alle  Sachen,  sag'  ich  euch  ot-o,  is'  Gott  a  Tate 
un'  die  Jisroejel  senen  Rachmonim-bnee-rachmonim,  sag' 
ich  euch  ot-o,  nischt  zu  varslindigen!   .   .   . 

Auch  mus  man  die  Tunejadewker  Einw5hner  dem 
Schwach  nachsagen,  as  see  senen  zufrieden  mit  was 
Gott  gi't  un'  klauben  cholile  in  der  Halbosche  un'  in 
dem  Essen  stark  nischt  iiber.  As  die  schabesdige 
Kapote,  a  Steiger,  is'  zuhackt,  zufallen,  zurissen,  a  Bis- 
sel varschlumpert  un'  eppes  nischt  as5  rein,  macht  iiuch 
nit  aus,  abi  sie  is'  fort  vun  Atlas  un'  glanzt.  Ai  orter- 
weis  kuckt  wie  vun  a  Reschete  araus  das  h5hle  Leib, 
meele  was  art  es  wemen?  Wer  wet  sich  da  as5  stellen 
zukucken?  Lemai  Pjates,  mit  wiis  is'  diis  iirger  vun 
ausgerissene  Pjates?  Pjates  is'  denn  nischt  kein  Leib, 
kein  Menschenfleisch  ?  .   .   . 

A  Stuckel  Brot  mit  a  Kolisch,  abi  's  is'  nor  dil,  is' 
sehr  a  guter  Mittag.  Wer  schmuest  a  Bulke  mit  a 
Rosselfleisch  Freitiig,  wer  es  hat  nor, — das  is'  take 
a  Maichel-Mecholim,  kein  Besseres  dervun  is'  schon, 
dacht  sich,  auf  der  Welt  nischt  dii.  Liis  miin  see  der- 
zaelilen,  a  Steiger,  vun  andere  Minee  Potrawes  chuz 
Fischjauch,  Gebraten's  un'  a  Miihren-  oder  Posternak- 
zimmes,  kummt  see  das  aus  eppes  mesclmne  wild  un' 
sagen  darauf  iib  varschiedene  Wcirtlich  mit  dem  gross- 
ten  Geliichter,  gleich  wie  der,  was  sagt  es,  is'  narrisch. 


CHRESTOMATHY  291 

in  the  towns  hereabout ;  I  am  a  Mohel  and  a  roller  of 
matzoth,  an  expert  in  my  work ;  I  sometimes  make  a 
match  and  get  people  married.  I  have  a  pew  in  the 
synagogue,  although  you  may  not  think  it  of  me ;  he- 
sides  I  have  a  grog-shop,  between  us  be  it  said,  that 
brings  me  in  a  little  income ;  I  have  a  goat  that  gives 
a  great  deal  of  milk,  and  not  far  from  here  I  have  a 
rich  relative  who  in  bad  times  lets  himself  be  milked  a 
little  too.  Besides  all  these  things,  I  tell  you,  God  is 
a  father  and  the  Jews  are  the  recipients  of  His  mercy,  I 
tell  you,  and  may  we  not  sin  against  Him !  .   .  . 

"We  must  give  the  inhabitants  of  Parasiteville  their 
due,  —  they  are  contented  with  anything  God  may 
give  them,  and  they  are  not  by  any  means  dainty  in 
their  garments  and  their  food.  If,  for  example,  the 
Sabbath  coat  is  all  crushed,  threadbare,  and  torn,  a 
little  bedraggled  and  of  questionable  cleanliness,  that 
does  not  trouble  them  much,  provided  it  is  of  satin 
and  has  a  sheen.  You  will  say  that  in  places  the  bare 
body  looks  out  of  it  as  from  a  sieve  !  What  of  that? 
Whose  concern  is  it  ?  Who  will  stop  to  look  at  it 
inquisitively?  Is  that  at  all  worse  than  bare  heels? 
Are  heels  no  body,  no  human  flesh  ?  .   .   . 

A  piece  of  bread  with  a  buckwheat  cake,  if  only 
it  can  be  procured,  is  a  very  good  dinner  indeed. 
And  just  think  of  a  white  roll  with  some  braized  meat 
on  a  Friday  !  Whoever  can  get  that,  regards  it  as  the 
finest  dainty,  better  than  which,  it  seems,  nothing  can 
be  found  in  the  world.  Let  anybody  tell  of  any  other 
kinds  of  choice  dishes  than  fish  juice,  roast  meat,  and 
carrot  or  parsnip  scallop,  he  will  be  looked  upon  as  a 
madman,  and  they  will  make  all  kinds  of  jests  about 
him  and  burst  out  in  loud  laughter,  as  if  he  wlio  luid 


292  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

meschuge  un'  will  see  auch  machen  meschuge,  einreden 
see  a  Kind  in  Bauch,  a  Knh  is'  gefl5gen  iiber'n  Dach 
un'  gelegt  an  Ei.  A  Stlickel  Bockser  in  Chamischo- 
ossor  das  is'  asa  Peere,  was  is'  mechaje  Nefosches; 
kuckendig  derauf  dermahnt  man  sich  in  Erzesrojel, 
nischt  ein  Mai  varglotzt  man  derbei  die  Aiigen  mit  a 
Krachz :  Ach,  "  wessoliclieenu  kommius,"  sollst  uns, 
harzediger  Vater,  fiihren  kommius,  take  was  kommius 
heisst,  "learzeenu"  —  zu  unser  Land,  was  Ziegen  essen 
dort  Bocksern  !  .  .  .  Al-pi  Mikre  hat  Einer  a  Mai  in 
dem  Stiidtel  gebracht  a  Teitel,  ha't  ihr  bedarft  sehn, 
wie  as5  man  is'  das  gelaufen  ankucken  auf  Chidesch  ! 
Man  hat  aufgemischt  a  Chumesch  un'  gewiesen,  as 
"  Tomer  "  der  Teitel  steht  in  Chumesch !  Steutsch,  der 
Teitel,  ot  der  Teitel  wachst  doch  vun  Erzesrojel !  .  .  . 
Kuckendig  auf'n  Teitel,  hat  sich  ausgedacht,  Erzesrojel 
is  var  die  Augen,  ot  geht  man  liber  dem  Jarden,  ot  is' 
die  Meoras-hamachpeelo,  der  Mutter  Rochel's  Keewer, 
das  Kossel-maarowi,  ot  badt  man  sich  in  Chamee-te- 
warjo,  man  kriecht  arauf  auf'n  Har-haseessim,  man  esst 
sich  an  mit  Bocksern,  mit  Teitlen,  un'  miin  legt  an 
fulle  Keschenjes  mit  ErzesrojeLerd'.  Ach,  hat  miin  ge- 
krachzt,  un'  in  die  Augen  haben  Itlichen  sich  gestellt 
Trahren.  "Jene  Zeit,"  aso  sagt  Binjamin,  "is'  ganz 
Tunejadewke,  wie  gross  sie  is',  gewe'n  in  Erzesrojel. 
Miin  hat  geschmack  geredt  vun  Moschiach'n,  ot,  ot, 
is'  sch5n  Gott's  Freitag  noch  halben  Tag.  .  .  .  Der 
neuer  Pristaw,  was  is'  nischt  lang  angekummen,  hat 
grad  be-jod-romo  denstmal  gefiihrt  das  Stiidtel.  Bei  a 
Paar  Jiiden  hat  er  arabgerissen  die  Jarmelkes,  Einem 
abgeschnitten  a  Peje,  Etliche  nebech  gechappt  spiit  bei 
der  Nacht  in  a  Giissel  ohn'  Pasporten,  bei  noch  Einem 
varnummen   a   Zieg',   was   hat   aufgegessen    a   neuera 


CHRESTOMATHY  293 

told  that  had  actually  become  crazy  and  wanted  to 
drive  them  crazy  too  by  making  them  believe  of  a 
child  in  the  stomach,^  of  a  cow  that  has  flown  over 
the  roof  and  has  laid  an  egg.  A  piece  of  buck's-horn 
on  the  fifteenth  day  in  the  month  of  Shebat  is  regarded 
as  a  fruit  that  delights  the  heart.  Looking  at  it  they 
are  reminded  of  Palestine,  and  they  frequently  raise 
their  eyes  in  ecstasy  and  say  with  a  sigh :  "  Oh,  wessoli- 
cheenu  k5mmius,"  lead  us,  O  merciful  Father,  upwards, 
yes,  upwards  indeed,  "learzeenu,"  into  our  land  where 
goats  feed  on  buck's-horn,  .  .  .  By  chance  some  one 
brought  a  date  to  town.  You  ought  to  have  seen  how 
people  rushed  up  to  see  the  wonder  !  They  opened 
the  Pentateuch  and  jDointed  out  that  "•  Tomer,"  the  date, 
was  mentioned  in  the  Bible  !  Just  think  of  it !  The 
date,  that  very  date  grows  in  Palestine !  .  .  .  Look- 
ing at  the  date  it  appeared  to  them  that  Palestine  was 
before  their  very  eyes,  that,  behold,  they  were  crossing 
the  Jordan ;  right  there  was  the  cave  of  Machpelah, 
Rachel's  grave,  the  western  wall ;  that  now  they  were 
bathing  in  the  Pool  of  Tiberias,  they  were  climbing  the 
Olive  IMount,  they  were  eating  their  fill  of  bucks'-horn 
and  dates,  and  swelling  their  pockets  with  earth  of  Pal- 
estine. Ah,  they  sighed,  and  tears  filled  the  eyes  of  all. 
"  In  those  days,"  says  Benjamin,  "  all  of  Parasiteville, 
as  large  as  it  is,  was  in  Palestine.  They  talked  with 
zest  of  Moses ;  and  behold,  it  is  already  past  noon  on 
God's  Friday.  .  .  .  The  new  police  captain  who  had 
only  lately  arrived  in  town  ruled  it  with  a  firm  hand. 
He  had  torn  off  the  skullcaps  from  the  heads  of  a  few 
Jews,  he  had  lopped  off  an  earlock,  had  bagged  a  few 
men  late  at  night  in  a  side  street  without  passports, 
had  confiscated  another  man's  goat  that  had  eaten  up  a 
1  This  is  a  common  sayiug  for  au  impossible  tiling. 


294  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

strSheneiu  Dach  ;  un'  er  is'  dermit  iiuch  gewe'n  die 
Ssibe  dervun,  was  der  Komitat  unter'n  Owen  hat  sich 
stark  geduret  mit'n  T5ger,  ad-mossaj  wet  der  Schar- 
scbel-jischmoel  aso  scholet  sein?  Man  hat  aufgemischt 
dem  gewoehntlichen  Schmues  mikdach  die  Ascheres- 
haschwotim,  wie  gliicklich  see  leben  dort  in  jene  weite 
Mekomes,  in  Gdule-oscher  un'  Kowed  ;  man  hat  aviir- 
genummen  die  rdthe  Jiidlech,  die  Bneemosche,  mit 
Gusmes  Maisses  vun  sejere  Gwures  uchdome  ;  Eldad 
ha-Dani,  es  varsteht  sich,  hat  iiuch  getanzt  in  dermit. 
Jene  Zeit,  zum  Meisten,  hab'  ich  zu  vardanken  die  Nes- 
sie  meine,  was  ich  hab'  dernach  gemacht." 

XI.     A   HARTER  BISSEN 
{Hausfreund,  Vol.  II.  pp.  22-26) 
Beim  Breg  vun  dem  Wasser,  vun  Jaffo  bis  Tarschisch, 
Dort  hort  sich  a  Zummen  un'  Brummen  — 
Beim  Breg  vun  dem  Wasser,  vun  Jaff5  bis  Tarschisch, 
Is'  finster  die  Nacht  angekummen. 

Un'  tief  aus  dem  Wasser  dort  hort  sich  das  Brummen, 
A  Kol  vun  a  Wallfisch  gar,  dacht  sich : 
"  Rab5ssai !     Heunt  hat  mich  der  Teuwel  genummen, 
Ich  starb'  heunt,  ich  spiir'  schon,  es  macht  sich ! 

"  Ich  eck'  bald !     Mein  Bauch,  oi,  mein  Bauch  mus  mir 

platzen  — 
Heunt  hab'  ich  a  Nowi  verschlungen ! 
Da  lielft  mehr  kein  Ghltten,  kein  Reiben,  kein  Kratzeu — 
Bald  is'  schon  der  Bauch  mir  zusprungen ! 

"  A  Nowi,  das  is'  gar  a  zu  barter  Bissen, 

Es  kiinn  ihm  gar  Keiner  vertragen  ; 

Zu  fett  is'  sein  Frummkeit  —  es  soil  schon  nit  wissen 

Vuu  ihm  kein  schum  ehrlicher  Miigen ! 


CHRESTOMATHY  295 

newly  laid  strawthatch.  And  it  was  he  that  was  the 
cause  of  the  committee's  preoccupation  with  the  Mogul, 
and  their  discussion  of  how  much  longer  the  Prince  of 
the  Ishmaelites  would  be  reigning.  They  returned  to 
the  usual  conversation  of  the  Ten  Tribes,  how  happy 
they  lived  in  those  distant  lands,  enjoying  wealth  and 
honor ;  they  recalled  the  Red  Jews,  the  Sons  of  Moses, 
and  told  a  mass  of  stories  of  their  bravery,  etc. ;  Eldad 
the  Danite  was  naturally  also  dished  up.  I  owe  it 
mainly  to  those  times  that  I  later  undertook  my  jour- 
ney." 


XI.    A  TOUGH  MORSEL 

On  the  shore  of  the  waters,  from  Jaffa  to  Tarshish, 
one  may  hear  a  grumbling  and  growling  ;  —  on  the 
shore  of  the  waters,  from  Jaffa  to  Tarshish,  the  night 
descended  in  darkness. 

And  deep  out  of  the  water  one  may  hear  a  growling, 

—  it  seems,  the  voice  of  a  whale.  "  My  lords !  To-day 
the  devil  has  taken  me,  I  am  going  to  die  to-day,  I  feel 
it,  I  am  sure  ! 

"  My  end  has  come !    My  belly,  O  my  belly  will  burst ; 

—  I  have  swallowed  this  day  a  prophet !  No  massag- 
ing, no  rubbing,  no  scratching  will  help  me ;  —  ere  long 
my  belly  will  certainly  burst ! 

"  A  prophet  is  entirely  too  tough  a  morsel,  and  no 
one  can  digest  him ;  his  piety  is  too  fat,  —  may  no 
honest  stomach  ever  know  the  like. 


296  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

"  A  Nowi,  derzii  noch  gar  einer,  a  kleiner ! 
(Punkt  zwolf  aiif  a  Tiitz  gar  in  Ganzen) 
Gar  hart  is'  sein  Nef esch,  gar  hart  seine  Beiner  — 
Er  lochert  mir  's  Harz  mit  sein  Tanzen ! 

"  Un'  Steiner,  un'  Beiner,  un'  kolerlei  Sachen, 
See  hat  sch5n  mein  Magen  zurieben  ; 
Un'  nor  mit  Newiim  kann  gar  ich  nit  machen  — 
A  Make,  was  steht  nit  geschrieben ! 

"  A  Nowi  is'  gar  nit  varhanden  a  weicher  — 
Nit  kann  man  ihm  essen,  nit  nagen  : 
Es  wollt'  sein  a  Mizwe,  nit  lasen  kein  Seecher 
Vun  Frumme,  was  grablen  beim  Magen ! 

"  A  Frummer  is'  gar  nit  varhanden  kein  weicher  — 

Mir  kennen  die  dasige  Helden ! 

Es  wollt'  sein  a  Mizwe,  nit  lasen  a  Seecher 

Vun  see  —  mit  Respekt  das  zu  melden  ! 

"  Rabossai !     Ich  spiir'  jetzt,  er  grabelt  in  Bauch  mir  — 

Gewalt !  's  is'  die  Tewa  vun  Frumme 

Rak  grablen  in  Jenems  Gedarem  —  nu,  auch  mir 

A  Nowi,  —  nor,  ach,  vun  die  Krumme  ! 

"  Rab5ssai !     Mir  dacht  sich,  er  murmelt  jetzt  eppes 
Un'  kriimmt  sich,  un'  beugt  sich  gar  plutzim  — 
Du  darschenst  umsiist  gar,  du  darschenst  in  Steppes 
Un'  wartst  gar  umsiist  auf  Tiruzim ! 

"  Rabossai !     Ich  spiir'  jetzt  sein  Grablen,  sein  Zapplen, 
Es  dacht  sich,  er  dawent  a  Bissel ! 

Un'  halt'  ich's  noch  liinger  jetzt  aus,  mus  ich  mapplen  — 
Gewald!     Gi't  mir  Brechweiu  a  Schiissel! 


CHRESTOMATHY  297 

"A  prophet,  and  one  of  the  smaller  kind  at  that  I 

—  Just  twelve  of  them  to  the  dozen.  Too  tough  is  his 
body,  too  tough  are  his  bones,  he  pierces  my  heart  with 
his  dancing ! 

"  And  stones,  and  bones,  and  all  other  kinds  of  things 
my  stomach  has  digested  ;  but  I  am  powerless  with 
prophets,  —  they  are  a  plague  not  mentioned  in  the 
Scriptures. 

"There  does  not  exist  a  tender  prophet,  —  you  can 
never  eat  them  or  gnaw  them.  It  would  be  meritorious 
not  to  leave  a  trace  of  pious  men  who  rummage  in  your 
stomachs ! 

"  There  does  not  exist  a  pious  man  who  is  tender,  — 
we  know  that  class  of  heroes  I  It  would  be  meritorious 
not  to  leave  a  trace  of  them  —  with  all  due  respect  per- 
mit me  to  say  that ! 

"  My  lords !  I  feel  he  is  now  rummaging  in  *  my 
stomach,  oh,  help  me !  It  has  ever  been  the  business 
of  pious  people  to  rummage  in  other  people's  entrails, 

—  that's  the  kind  of  a  prophet  he  is,  only,  alas,  he  is 
crooked ! 

"  My  lords !  meseems,  he  is  now  mumbling  something, 
and  he  is  writhing  and  bending  up  all  of  a  sudden,  — 
you  preach  in  vain,  you  preach  in  the  wilderness,  and 
you  are  waiting  in  vain  for  an  answer ! 

"  My  lords !  I  now  feel  his  crawling,  his  sprawling, 
it  seems,  he  is  praying  now  a  bit !  And  if  I  am  to 
endure  it  much  longer,  I  shall  have  to  abort.  Help ! 
Give  me  a  dish  full  of  emetic  ! 


298  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

"  Ich  kann  nit  derhalten  sein  Dawnen,  sein  Singen,  — 
Das  Tanzen  arum,  wie  die  Kinder, 
Die  falsche,  verwilderte  Tnues,  das  Springen.   .   .  . 
Gewald !     Gi't  mir  Brechwein  geschwinder ! 

"  Gewald !   Gi't  mir  Brechwein,  gi't  Zeitungsmaimorim, 

Gi't  Nechbi-ben-Wofsi's  Artiklen ; 

Gi't  gich  Feuilletonen,  gi't  jiidische  Sforim  — 

Un'  tlmt  mir  das  All's  zunaufwicklen, 

"  Un'  macht  mir  a  Mittel  zum  Brechen,  zum  Brechen ! 
Gi't  Sforim  vun  spiitere  Dores ! 
Gi't  Schomer's  Romanen,  see  senen,  ich  rechen' 
Zum  Brechen  vorzligliche  S-ch5res  — 

"  Gi't  Sforim  vun  neunzehnten  klugen  Jahrhundert, 
Gi't  kluge  '  Kritiken '  —  vun  wemen 
Ihr  willt  sich  allein  nor  ;  gi't  gicher  —  mich  wundert, 
Wie  brech'  ich  sch5n  nit  bei  die  Namen ! "  — 

Beim  Breg  vun  dem  Wasser,  vun  Jaffo  bis  Tarschisch, 
Dort  hort  sich  a  Zummen  un'  Brummen  — 
A  Mittel  zu  Brechen,  vun  Jaff5  bis  Tarschisch, 
Hat  dorten  a  Fisch  eingenummen. 

Un'  still  is'  un'  ruhig ;  es  kraiiselt  die  Nacht  sich 
Un'  flecht  ihre  tunkele  Locken ; 
In  Ilimmel  die  Steren, — see  flammen,  es  dacht  sich, 
Wie  gelbliche,  goldene  Pocken. 

Un'  still  is'  un'  ruhig,  es  flecht  gar  die  Nacht  sich 
Un'  kraiiselt  die  hnstere  Locken  ; 
Es  wandelt  gar  still  die  Natur,  un'  es  dacht  sich, 
Sie  geht  wie  auf  seidene  Socken. 


CHRESTOMATHY  299 

"  I  cannot  stand  his  praying,  his  chanting,  —  his 
dancing,  like  a  calf,  his  false,  barbaric  doings,  —  his 
leaping.   .  .  .     Help !     Give  me  quickly  some  emetic ! 


"  Help  I  Give  me  some  emetic,  give  me  newspaper 
discussions,  give  me  Nechbi-ben-Wofsi's  articles.  Give 
me  f euilletons,  give  me  Jewish  books,  —  and  put  them 
all  in  a  bundle, 

"  And  make  me  a  medicine  to  vomit,  to  vomit !  Give 
me  books  of  later  generations!  Give  me  the  novels 
of  Schaikewitsch, — I  think  they  are  excellent  stuff  for 
vomiting. 

"  Give  me  books  of  the  wise  nineteenth  century ;  give 
me  criticisms,  whosesoever  you  wish  yourself ;  only  give 
them  quickly,  —  I  am  surprised  I  am  not  vomiting  at 
mentioning  these  names !  " 

On  the  shore  of  the  waters,  from  Jaffa  to  Tarshish, 
one  may  hear  a  grumbling  and  growling ;  —  an  emetic, 
from  Jaffa  to  Tarshish,  a  fish  has  swallowed  there. 


And  all  is  still  and  quiet ;  night  is  curling  and  braid- 
ing her  sable  locks  ;  the  stars  in  the  sky,  —  they  flame, 
it  seems,  like  yellow,  golden  pustules. 


And  all  is  still  and  quiet,  and  night  is  braiding  and 
curling  her  dusky  locks ;  nature  wanders  in  silence, 
and  it  seems  she  walks  on  silken  stockings. 


300  YIDDISH  LITERATUEE 

Un'  plutzling  clerhort  sicli  a  Kol  in  der  Finster, 
Gar  f  urchterlicli  hat  er  geschriegen  ; 
Es  hat  clort  a  Wallfisch,  vun  alle  der  diinster, 
A  groben  Frummak  ausgespiegen. 

Un'  nach  dem  Ausspeien,  un'  g'rad  zu  Oleenu, 

Da  thut  er  noch  philosophiren  ; 

Er  sagt :  "  Zu  Newiim,  liberhaupt  zu  die  kleine, 

Da  tor  man  sich  gar  nit  zuriihren  !  " 

D.  Frischmann. 

Xn.    STEMPENJU'S  FIEDELE 

('Stempenju,'  pp.  8-10) 
Ach,  ich  fiihl',  as  mein  Feder  is'  schwach  zu  beschrei- 
ben,  wie  Stempenju  hat  besetzt  a  Kale  !  Das  is'  nit 
gewe'n  glatt  gespielt,  geriimpelt :  das  is'  gewe'n  a  Min 
Aweede,  a  Gott's  Dienst  mit  eppes  sehr  a  hochen 
Gefiihl,  mit  eppes  sehr  an  edlen  Geist.  Stempenju  hat 
sich  gestellt  akegen  der  Kale  un'  hat  ihr  Drosche 
gehalten  auf 'n  Fiedel,  —  a  schoene,  a  lange  Drosche,  a 
riihrende  Drosche  liber  dem  frei  un'  giiicklich  Leben 
vun  der  Kale  bis  aher,  vun  ihr  Maedelstand,  un'  iiber 
dem  finsteren,  bitteren  Leben,  was  erwartet  sie  spiiter, 
spiiter :  Aus  Maedel !  iibergedeckt  dem  Kopp,  var- 
stellt  die  schoene,  lange  Haar  auf  ebig  .  .  .  nit  da  das 
Froehlichkeit !  Sei  gesund,  Jugend,  ot  werst  du  a 
Jiidene  !  .  .  .  Eppes  sehr  nischt  froehlich,  Gott  soil 
nischt  strafen  far  die  Red' !  .  .   . 

Ot  asolche  Worter  liiiren  sich  kimat  araus  vun  Stem- 
penju's  Fiedele ;  alle  Weiber  varstehen  gut  dem  Pschat 
vun  der  dasiger  stummer  Drosche,  alle  Weiber  fiihlen 
es ;  see  fiihlen  diis,  un'  weinen  derauf  mit  bittere 
Triihren. 

—  Wie   lang  bin   ich  aso  gesessen,  —  kliihrt   sich  a 


CHRESTOMATHY  301 

And  suddenly  a  voice  is  lieard  in  the  darkness  ;  ter- 
ribly he  did  cry ;  a  whale,  the  thinnest  of  them  all,  has 
there  spit  out  a  bigot. 

And  after  his  spitting  up,  just  at  the  last  prayer  of 
Oleenu,  he  still  continues  to  philosophize ;  he  says : 
"With  prophets,  particularly  the  little  ones,  you  must 
have  nothing  to  do !  " 


Xn.    STEMPENJU'S  VIOLIN 

Oh,  I  feel  that  my  pen  is  too  weak  to  describe  the 
manner  of  Stempenju's  playing  at  the  Enthronement  of 
the  Bride.  That  was  not  mere  playing,  mere  fingering 
of  the  strings  :  that  was  a  kind  of  religious  service, 
devotion  to  the  Lord,  with  a  very  elevated  feeling, 
with  such  a  noble  spirit  !  Stempenju  took  his  stand  in 
front  of  the  bride  and  began  to  address  her  with  a  ser- 
mon on  his  violin,  a  beautiful,  a  long  sermon,  a  touch- 
ing sermon,  on  the  free  and  happy  life  she  had  led 
heretofore,  on  her  girlish  state,  and  the  gloomy,  bitter 
life  that  awaited  her  later,  later.  No  longer  a  girl ! 
the  head  covered,  the  beautiful  long  hair  disguised  for- 
ever .  .  .  gone  all  merriment !  Farewell,  youth,  you 
are  now  turned  into  a  married  Jewess  !  .  .  .  'Tis  some- 
how very  sad  !  May  God  not  visit  us  with  punishment 
for  such  words  !   .   .   . 

Almost  these  words  are  heard  on  Stempenju's  violin. 
The  women  all  understand  well  the  purport  of  that 
silent  sermon,  all  the  women  feel  it ;  they  feel  it,  and 
weep  thereupon  bitter  tears. 

"  How  long  have  I  been  sitting,"  meditates  a  young 


302  YIDDISH   LITEKATURE 

jung  Weibel,  schlingendig  die  Trahren,  —  wie  lang  bin 
ich  as5  gesessen  mit  zuliiste,  zuflochtene  Zopp'  un'  hab' 
nor  gemeint,  as  Malochim  spielen  sich  gar  mit  mir,  as 
ich  bin  Eine,  a  gliickliche  ?  Zum  Ssof  .  .  .  ach,  zum 
Ssof  .  .   . 

—  Bescher'  ihr  Gott,  —  tbut  beten  an  altere  Jiidene, 
a  Mutter  vun  derwachsene  Tochter,  —  bescher'  ihr 
Gott,  mein  alterer  Tochter,  ihr  Siweg  in  Gichen,  nor 
mit  mehr  Masel  wie  mir,  nor  mit  a  schonere  Dolje,  wie 
ich  hab'  bei  mein  Mann,  Gott  soil  nit  strafen  far  die 
Red' ! 

Ot  in  asolche  Machschowes  fallen  arein  die  Weiber 
un'  Stempenju  thut  sich  sein's:  Er  arbeit't  mit  alle 
Keelim,  un'  das  Fiedele  redt.  Das  spielt  Stempenju  a 
Weinendig's,  un'  die  Kapelje  halt't  ihm  unter,  es  werd 
still,  aus-Ljarem,  aus-Gepilder  !  Alle,  alle  willen  horen 
Stempenjun.  Jliden  wer'en  vartracht,  Weiber  weren 
anschwiegen ;  Jiinglech,  Maedlech  kletteren  arauf  auf 
Bank'  un'  auf  Tischen,  —  Jeder  will  horen  Stempenjun  ! 

—  Sch  —  vscha  !  Stiller  !     Olem,  las  sein  still !  ! 

Un  Stempenju  zugiesst  sich  auf'n  Fiedele  un'  zugeht 
sich  wie  a  Wachs  :  Tjoch,  tjoch,  tjoch,  —  mehr  hort  man 
nischt.  A  Hand  flielit  auf  un'  ab,  —  mehr  seht  miin 
nit,  un'  es  horen  sich  allerlei  Koles,  un'  es  giessen  sich 
verschiedene  Minee  Gesangen,  un'  alls  umetige,  traue- 
rige,  as  es  nemmt  an  beim  Harzen,  es  zieht  die  Neschome, 
es  nemmt  araus  das  Chijes  ;  Der  Olem  geht  aus  mit 
alle  K5ches,  der  Olem  starbt,  starbt  mit  alle  Eewrim, 
das  Harz  werd  eppes  aso  vull,  un'  es  stellen  sich  Trah- 
ren in  die  Augen  ;  Jilden  siifzen,  Jiiden  kriichzen, 
Jiiden  weinen  .  .  .  un' Stempenju  ?  Wer  Stempenju  ? 
Me  seht  ihm  gilr  nit,  me  seht  kein  Fiedele,  me  hort  nor 
die  slisse  Koles,  die  gottliche  Gesangen,  was  fiillen  an 


CHRESTOMATIIY  303 

woman,  swallowing  her  tears,  "how  long  have  I  been 
sitting  with  flowing,  unbraided  hair,  and  thinking  that 
angels  are  playing  with  me,  that  I  am  the  happiest 
creature  I     And  yet  .   .   .  ah,  and  yet  ..." 

"  God  grant  her,"  so  begins  her  prayer  an  elderly 
woman,  a  mother  of  grown-up  daughters,  "  God  grant 
her,  my  oldest  daughter,  to  be  soon  united  in  wedlock, 
but  with  more  happiness  than  I  have  had,  with  a  better 
lot  than  I  have  had  with  my  husband,  —  may  God  not 
visit  me  with  punishment  for  my  words  I  " 

Such  are  the  thoughts  that  fall  upon  the  women,  and 
Stempenju  keeps  on  playing  his  way :  he  directs  the 
whole  band,  and  his  violin  talks  eloquently.  Stem- 
penju is  now  playing  a  sad  tune,  and  his  musicians 
support  him.  All  is  quiet,  there  is  no  noise,  not  a 
sound  !  All,  all  want  to  hear  Stempenju.  Men  fall  to 
musing,  women  are  grown  silent.  Boys  and  girls  have 
climbed  on  benches  and  tables,  —  all  want  to  hear  Stem- 
penju ! 

"  Hush  !     Keep  still  !     People,  let  there  be  quiet  !  " 

And  Stempenju  dissolves  on  his  violin  and  melts  like 
wax  ;  pitapat  is  all  you  may  hear.  An  arm  flies  up  and 
down,  —  that's  all  you  may  see,  and  you  hear  all  kinds 
of  voices,  and  all  kinds  of  tunes  are  poured  forth,  all 
melancholy,  sad,  so  that  it  tears  out  your  heart,  draws 
out  your  soul,  takes  away  your  life.  The  people  grow 
faint,  the  people  grow  weak  in  all  their  limbs  ;  the 
heart  is  full  to  overflowing,  and  tears  appear  in  the 
eyes.  Men  sigh,  men  groan,  women  weep  .  .  .  and 
Stempenju?  But  who  pays  attention  to  him?  No  one 
sees  him,  no  one  sees  his  violin  ;  they  only  hear  his 
sweet  tones,  the  divine  music  whicli  fills  the  whole 
room.   .   .   .     And  Rochele  the  beautiful  who  had  never 


304  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

die  ganze  Stub'  .  .  .  Un'  Rochele  die  schoene,  was 
hiit  nocli  bis  aher  nischt  geliort  Stempenju's  Spielen, 
Rochele,  was  hat  gehort,  as  's  is'  da  a  Stempenju,  nor 
sie  hat  noch  nischt  gehort  asa  Min  Spielen,  steht  uu' 
hort  sich  zu  zu  die  kischefdige  Gesangen,  zu  die  seltene 
K51es,  un'  versteht  nit,  was  das  is'.  Eppes  zieht  das 
ihr  das  Harz,  eppes  glatt't  das  sie,  —  nor  was  das  is' 
versteht  sie  nit.  Sie  hobt  auf  die  Augen  ahin,  vun 
wannen  es  giessen  sich  die  siisse  Koles  un'  derseht  a  Paar 
wunderschoene,  schwarze  Augen,  feuerdige  Augen,  was 
kucken  gleich  auf  ihr  un'  nehmen  sie  durch,  wie 
Spiesen,  wie  scharfe  Spiesen.  Die  wunderschoene, 
schwarze,  feuerdige  Augen  kucken  auf  ihr  un'  winken 
zu  ihr  un'  reden  niit  ihr  ;  Rochele  will  arablasen  ihre 
Augen  arab,  —  un'  kann  nit. 

—  Ot  das  is'  Stempenju  ? 

Aso  klahrt  sich  Rochele  die  schoene,  wenn  das  Be- 
setzen  hat  sich  schon  geendigt  un'  die  Mechutonim 
hoben  schon  an  zu  trachten  mik5ach  Fiihren  zu  der 
Chupe. 

—  Wu  senen  ergez  die  Licht  ?  fragt  Chossen's  Zad. 

—  Die  Licht  wu  senen  ?  entfert  Kale's  Zad. 

Un'  as5  werd  wieder  der  eigener  Gepilder,  was 
friiher ;  AUe  laufen  un'  me  weisst  nit  wuhin.  Me 
kwetscht  sich,  me  stuppt  sich,  me  tret't  an  auf  iNIasolim, 
me  reisst  Kleidlech,  me  schwitzt,  me  siedelt  die  Ssarwers 
mit  die  Schamossim,  un'  see  siedlen  zuriick  die  Mechu- 
tonim, un'  die  Mechutonim  amperen  sich  zwischen  sich, 

—  es  is'  borchaschem  ganz  lebedig ! 

S.  Babinowitsch. 


CHRESTOMATIIY  305 

before  heard  Stempeiijirs  playing,  Rochele  who  had 
heard  before  of  Stempenju,  but  who  had  never  before 
heard  such  playing,  stands  and  listens  to  the  enticing 
music,  the  rare  sounds,  and  does  not  understand  what 
that  all  means.  Something  has  touched  her  heart,  a 
soft  feeling  has  passed  over  her,  but  she  does  not  under- 
stand what  that  is.  She  lifts  her  eyes  to  the  place  from 
which  the  sweet  sounds  proceed,  and  notices  a  pair  of 
very  beautiful  black  eyes,  fiery  eyes  that  are  looking 
straight  at  her,  and  that  transfix  her  like  spears,  like 
sharp  spears.  The  beautiful,  black,  fiery  eyes  look  at 
her  and  beckon  to  her  and  speak  to  her  ;  Rochele  wants 
to  lower  her  eyes,  and  she  cannot. 


"  Oh,  that  is  Stempenju  !  " 

So  meditates  Rochele  the  beautiful,  as  the  Enthrone- 
ment is  ended,  and  the  parents  of  the  contracting  parties 
are  getting  ready  to  lead  them  under  the  Baldachin. 

"Where  are  the  candles?"  comes  the  question  from 
the  bridegroom's  side. 

"The  candles,  where  are  they?"  comes  the  reply 
from  the  bride's  side. 

And  thus  the  same  noise  begins  as  before.  All  are 
running,  not  knowing  whither.  There  is  a  jam,  and 
they  push  each  other,  and  step  on  people's  toes,  and  tear 
dresses ;  they  perspire,  they  scold  the  ushers  and  the 
beadles,  and  these  again  scold  the  parents  of  the  marry- 
ing couple,  and  the  parents  wrangle  among  themselves, 
—  praised  be  the  Lord,  all  is  lively  ! 


306  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

Xni.   DER   TALMUD 
(JMische  Volksbibliothek,  Vol.  II.  pp.  195-197) 
Alte  Blatter  vun'm  Talmud, 
Alte  Sagen  un'  Legenden ! 
In  mein  trauerigen  Leben 
Oft  thu'  ich  zu  euch  mich  wenden. 

Bei  der  Nacht,  wenn  in  der  Finster 
Lauft  der  Schlaf  vun  meine  Augen, 
Un'  ich  sitz'  allein  un'  elend, 
Zu  der  Brust  dem  Kopp  gebogen, 

In  die  trauerige  Stunden, 
Wie  a  Steren  in  der  blauer 
Summernacht,  hebt  an  zu  scheinen 
Der  Sikoren  in  mein  Trauer. 

Ich  derm  aim  sich  auf  die  Liebe, 
Auf  die  siisse  Kindheitsjahren, 
Wenn  ich  bin  noch  frei  gewesen 
Vun  mein  Kummer,  Leid  un'  Zoren ; 

Ich  dermahn'  sich  auf  die  Zeiten, 
Wenn  ich  fleg'  dem  ersten,  siissen, 
Besten  Koss  vun  Leben,  Freiheit, 
Freud'  un'  Lustigkeit  geniessen. 

Ich  dermahn'  sich  auf  die  alte, 
Auf  die  siisse,  liebe  Jahren, 
Un'  die  Blatter  vun'm  Talmud 
Stehen  auf  in  mein  Sikoren. 

Ach,  die  alte,  alte  Blatter  ! 
Wie  viel  Liclit  un'  wie  viel  Steren 
Brennen,  scheinen  un'  see  konnen 
Ebig  nit  verloschen  wer'en. 


CHRESTOMATHY  307 


XIII.   THE  TALMUD 

Old  leaves  of  the  Talmud,  old  stories  and  legends  ! 
In  my  saddened  life  I  frequently  turn  to  you. 


At  night,  when  in  the  darkness  sleep  evades  my 
eyes,  and  I  sit  alone  and  deserted,  my  head  bowed  to 
my  breast, 

In  those  sad  hours,  like  a  star  in  the  azure  summer 
night,  there  begin  to  shine  memories  in  my  sadness. 


I  recall  my  love,  my  sweet  years  of  childhood,  when 
I  was  still  free  from  sorrow,  pain  and  anger  ; 


I  recall  those  times  when  I  quaffed  the  first,  sweet, 
the  best  chalice  of  life,  freedom,  joy  and  merriness. 


I  recall  the  old,  the  sweet,  delightful  years,  and  the 
leaves  of  the  Talmud  arise  in  my  memory. 


Oh,  the  old,  old  leaves !  As  many  lights  and  as 
many  stars  there  burn  and  shine,  they  can  never  be 
extinguished. 


308  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

Tausend  Stromen,  tausend  Teichen 
Haben  see  getliun  verfliessen, 
Samd  hat  sich  auf  see  geschotten, 
Sturems  haben  see  gerissen, 

Un'  die  alte,  alte  Blatter 
Leben  noch  .  .  .  see  senen  take 
Gell,  verchoschecht,  ilbgerissen, 
Dort  a  Loch  un'  da  a  Make ; 

Da  a  Stiickel  abgesmalet, 
Dort  a  Schure  taug'  auf  Zores, 
Un'  in  Ganzen  hat  a  Ponim 
Vun  an  alten  Bess-hakwores  .  .  . 

Meele  was  ?     Nu,  is'  das  take 
A  Bessalmen,  wu  begraben 
Liegt  in  Keewer  All's,  was  ebig 
WoUen  mir  schon  mehr  nit  haben.  .  .  . 

Un'  ich,  alter,  kranker  Jossem, 
VuU  mit  Leid,  mit  Eemas-mowes, 
Steh',  mein  grauen  Kopp  gebogen, 
Steh'  un'  wein'  auf  Keewer-owes.  .  .  . 

S.  Frcg. 

XIV.    DlS  JUDISCHE  KIND 

(^Hausfreund,  p.  44) 
Tief  begraben  in  der  Finster, 
Weit  vun  Luf t  un'  Licht,  — 
Sehst  du  dort  dem  blinden  Worem, 
Wie  er  kriecht? 

In  der  Erd'  is'  er  geboren, 
Un'  beschert 

Is'  ihm,  ebig,  ebig  kriechen 
In  der  Erd'.  .  .  . 


CHRESTOMATHY  309 

Thousands  of  streams,  thousands  of  rivers  have 
passed  over  them,  sand  has  covered  them,  storms  have 
torn  them, 

Yet  the  old,  old  leaves  live  on  .  .  .  though  they  be 
yellow,  darkened,  torn,  —  a  hole  here,  a  spot  there  ; 


Here  a  bit  charred,  there  a  line  obliterated,  and  the 
whole  has  the  appearance  of  an  old  cemetery.  .  .  . 


What  of  that?  Yes,  indeed,  that  is  a  burial-ground 
where  lies  buried  in  the  grave  all  that  which  we  shall 
never  have  again.  .  .  . 

And  I,  old,  sick  orphan,  full  of  sorrow,  of  the  awe 
of  death,  stand  with  bent  head,  stand  and  weep  at  the 
grave  of  our  fathers.  .  .  . 


XIV.    THE  JEWISH  CHILD 

Deeply  buried  in  darkness,  far  from  air  and  light,  — 
do  you  see  yonder  the  blind  worm,  as  he  creeps  ? 


In  the  ground  he  was  born,  and  it  is  decreed  that 
forever,  yes  forever,  he  shall  creep  upon  the  earth.  .  .  . 


310  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

Wie  a  Worem  in  cler  Finster, 
Schwach  un'  stumm  un'  blind, — 
Lebst  du  ab  die  Kindlieit's  Jahren, 
Jiidisch  Kind ! 

Auf  dein  Wiegel  singt  die  Mame 
Nit  kein  Lied 
Vun  a  ruhig  stillen  Leben, 
Freiheit,  Fried, 

Vun  die  Gartner,  vun  die  Felder,. 
Wu  das  frische  Kind 
Spielt  un'  freut  sich  frei  un'  lustig, 
Wie  der  Wind. 

Nein  !  A  Quail  vun  tiefen  Jammer 
Rauscht  un'  klingt.  .  .   . 
Oi,  wie  bitter  is'  das  Liedel, 
Was  sie  singt ! 

Tiefe  Siifzen,  heisse  Trahren 
Mit  a  starke  Macht 
Klingen,  rauschen  in  dem  Liedel 
Tag  un'  Nacht. 

Tiefe  Siifzen,  heisse  Trahren, 
Hunger,  Kalt 

Schlejipen  sich  mit  dir  zusammen 
Auf  der  Welt. 

Un'  vun  Wiegel  bis  zum  Keewer, 
Auf  dem  langen  Weg, 
Wachsen  ganze  Wiilder  Zores 
Ohn'  a  Brag.  .  .  . 


S.  Frug. 


CHRESTOMATHY  311 

Like  a  worm  in  the  darkness,  weak  and  mute  and 
blind,  —  you  live  through  the  years  of  childhood,  Jew- 
ish child  ! 


At  your  cradle  your  mother  sings  not  a  song  of  a 
quiet,  peaceful  life,  of  freedom,  peace, 


Of   the  gardens,  of   the  fields,  where  the  blooming 
child  plays  and  gladdens  free  and  merry  like  the  wind. 


No,  a  spring  of  deep  sorrow  bubbles  and  resounds. 
.  .  .     Oh,  how  bitter  is  the  song  that  she  sings  ! 


Deep  sobs,  hot  tears  with  a  mighty  power  resound, 
bubble  in  the  song  day  and  night. 


Deep  sobs,  hot  tears,  hunger,  cold,  drag  along  with 
you  in  the  world. 


And  from  your  cradle  to  your  grave,  upon  the  long 
journey,  there  grow  whole  forests  of  sorrows  without 
end.   .   .   . 


312  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 


XV.    DER  ADELIGER  KlTER 

(Emeth,  Vol.  I.  p.  62) 
A  Fuchs,  a  chitrer  Kerl  un'  a  Lez 
Hat  in  an  Unterhaltung  mit  a  Kater 
Gemacht  as5  viel  Chosek  vun  die  Katz', 
As  Jener  is'  in  Kas  gewor'en. 
"  Du  weisst  nit,  Fiichsel-chazuf  "  —  hat  er 
Zu  ihm  gesagt  mit  Zorn,  — 
"  As  ich  gehor'  zum  allerhochsten  Adel 
"  Vun  Chajes,  weil  ich  kumm'  vun  a  Mischpoche 
"Vun  Helden  ohne  Furcht  un'  Tadel, 
"  Was  seinen  keinmrd  nit  gegangen  in  Gespann, 
"  Nit  in  a  Fuhr',  nit  in  a  Ssoche, 
"  Zum  Fiihren  Heu,  zum  Ackern  a  Feld, 
"  Zum  Thon,  was  passt  nit  far  a  Thieren-held  ; 
"  Nor  lebendig  in  W5ltag,  Jederer  a  Pan, 
"  Durch  ehrenhafte  Raub. 
"  Ich  stamm'  bekizer  ab  vun  flinken  Tiger, 
"  Was  kiinn  verzucken  jeden  Rind  ; 
"  Ich  bin  dem  Lempert's  Schwesterkind, 
"  Sogar  vun  seine  Majestiit,  dem  Loeb 
"  A  Korew  nit  kein  weiter. 
"  Obgleich  ich  bin  allein  vielleicht, 
"  Kein  Held  nit,  nit  kein  grosser  Krieger, 
"  Un'  nit  kein  m5rediger  Streiter." 
—  "As  du  bist  nit  kein  Held,  is'  leicht 
"Zu  sehn" — hat  ihm  geentwert  unser  Fuchs  — 
"  I  vun  dein  schwache  Lapke, 
"  I  vun  dein  Blick,  i  vun  dein  Wuchs. 
"  Wer  weiss  nit,  as  dem  klensten  Hiintel's  Eck 
"  (Schon  gar  nit  redendig  vun  seine  Zaehner) 
"Verjagt  dich,  wie  die  schwachste  Zabke, 
"  In  Thorn  arein  var  hole  Schreck? 


CHRESTOMATHY  313 


XV.     THE  NOBLE   TOM-CAT 

A  Fox,  a  cunning  fellow  and  a  jester,  conversing 
once  with  a  Tom-cat,  made  light  of  all  the  cats,  so  that 
he  made  him  angry.  "  You  know  not,  arrant  Fox,"  said 
he  to  him,  growing  angry,  "that  I  belong  to  the  noblest 
tribe  of  beasts,  for  I  am  descended  from  a  family  of 
heroes  without  fear  and  reproach,  who  never  have 
walked  under  a  yoke  of  wain,  nor  plough,  to  gather  in 
the  hay,  to  till  the  field,  to  do  what  is  not  meet  for  a 
beast-hero,  —  nay,  living  aye  in  plenty,  each  his  own 
master,  by  honorable  robbery.  In  short,  I  am  de- 
scended from  the  swift  Tiger,  who  knows  how  to  slay 
the  kine ;  I  am  cousin  to  the  Leopard,  and  even  of  his 
Majesty,  the  Lion,  a  not  distant  relative,  although  I 
myself,  perhaps,  be  not  a  hero,  nor  great  warrior,  nor 
awful  champion. 


"That  you  are  not  a  hero  is  easily  discerned,"  our 
Fox  retorted,  "both  by  your  weak  paw,  and  by  your 
looks,  and  by  your  size.  Who  does  not  know  that  the 
tail  of  the  smallest  dog  —  not  to  speak  of  his  teeth  — 
will  chase  you  away  like  the  weakest  frog  into  some 
hole,  agog  with  fear?  You,  my  friend,  are  bold  only 
with  bones,  in  a  corner  of  the  room,  making  war  on  a 
quiet,  hungry  mouse.     I  know  of  the  high  deeds  of 


314  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

"  Du  bist  nor,  Freund,  a  Chwat  mit  Beiner 

"In  Winkele,  in  Haus, 

"  Bekampfendig  a  stille,  Imngerige  Maus. 

"  Ich  weiss  nit  vun  die  Maissim-towim, 

"  Vun  deine  adelige  Kr5wim, 

"  Nor  du  lebst  nit  vun  ehrenbaften  Raub  allein, 

"  Du,  Bruder,  scbamst  sich  nit  zu  ganwenen, 

"  Zu  bettlen  un'  zu  cbanfenen, 

"  Afile  naschen  is'  far  dir  nit  zu  gemein." 

Das  sagendig  hat  er  sein  angepelzten  Eck 

Mit  Spott  a  Hob  gethan  un'  is'  aweg. 

***** 
Die  alte  Welt 

Is  vull  mit  tausende  asolche  Katers, 
Jachsonim  puste,  adelige  Pirapernatters, 
Mit  Wonzes  lange,  bliszendige  Augen, 
Ohn'  Macht,  ohn'  Sinn,  ohn'  Geld, 
Nefosches,  welclie  taugen 
Zum  Klettern  mit  Planer  in  der  Hoch, 
Vun  welclie  jeder  endigt  sich  in  Ranch ; 
Was  lecken  Teller  bei  dem  Reichen 
Un'  mjauken  sich  mit  sejersgleichen 
Aristokratisch  fein  zusammen, 
Un'  Alles,  was  see  weissen. 
Is'  mehr  nit,  wie  see  heissen, 
Un'  dann,  vun  welche  Tigerkatz'  see  stammen. 

M.     WiNCHEVSKY. 

XVI.    JONKIPER 

(Hausfrewid,  Vol.  II.  pp.  88-91) 

.  .  .  Es  is'  wieder  Jonkiper,  nor  dreissig  Jahr  senen 
vun  jener  Zeit  arilber. 

Wieder  is'  die  Schul  vull  mit  Tales  un'  Kittel  einge- 
wickelte  Jiiden  ;    der  Pol  is'  rait  Heu  ausgebett'  itzt 


CHRESTOJIATHY  315 

your  noble  relatives,  —  but  3'ou  do  not  live  by  honor- 
able prey  alone ;  you,  my  friend,  are  not  ashamed  to 
steal,  to  beg,  and  to  flatter  ;  you  do  not  think  it  beneath 
you  to  nibble  secretly  at  dainties."  Saying  that,  he 
raised  his  furry  tail  in  scorn  and  went  away. 


The  Old  World  is  full  of  thousands  of  such  Tom- 
cats, empty-headed  braggarts,  noble  dragons,  with  long 
mustaches  and  glittering  eyes,  without  power,  without 
sense,  or  money,  souls  that  are  good  only  to  crawl  on 
high  with  plans  that  all  end  in  smoke ;  who  lick  the 
plates  of  the  rich,  and  miaul  together  with  their  kind 
in  aristocratic  fashion,  and  all  they  know  is  only  their 
own  names,  and  then  from  what  Tiger  they  are  de- 
scended. 


XVI.     THE   ATONEMENT  DAY 

...  It  is  again  the  day  of  Atonement,  but  since  that 
time  thirty  years  have  passed. 

Again  the  synagogue  is  full  of  men  wrapped  in 
taliths  and  shrouds !    The  floor  is  strewn  with  hay  now 


316  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

wie  demalt ;  in  zwei  grdsse  Kastens  vull  mit  Samd  vun 
beide  Seiten  Bime  brennen  heunt  die  wachsene  Ne- 
schome-liclit  wie  mit  dreissig  Jahr  zuriick,  cliotsch  nacli 
andere,  frische  Neschomes,  was  senen  erst  in  die  dreissig 
Jahr  Neschomes  gewor'en.  Un'  see  brennen  manche 
still  un'  ruhig  un'  manche  flackerndig  un'  schmelzendig, 
un'  Jiinglech  Kundeessim  chappen  die  Stiicklech  ab- 
geschmolzene  Wachs  iiuch  heunt  wie  a  Mai. 

Chotsch  die  Stimme  vun  dem  Chasen  is'  itzt  andersch, 
aber  die  Worter,  was  er  sagt,  un'  der  Nigen,  was  er 
singt,  senen  dieselbe,  gar  dieselbe,  nit  geandert  auf  ein 
Haar. 

Dieselbe  senen  auch  die  Trahren,  was  giessen  sich 
heunt  teichenweis  dort  hinter  die  varhangene  Fen- 
sterlech  in  der  weiberscher  Schul,  chotsch  vun  andere 
Augen,  vun  andere  gepeinigte  Herzer  fliessen  see.  .  .  . 

Auf  dem  Ort,  wu  mit  dreissig  Jahr  friiher  is'  die 
ungliickliche  Mutter  gestan'en  un'  beweint  ihr  Hebe 
Tochter,  was  is'  as5  jung  vun  der  Welt  aweg,  steht 
heunt  iiuch  a  Mutter  un'  zugiesst  ihr  schwer  Harz  in 
heisse  Trahren.  Sie  weint  un'  klagt  iiber  ihr  schoene 
Tochter,  was  sie  hat  sich  a  Mai  gebentscht  mit  ihr, 
a  Maedel,  schoen  wie  Gold,  was  is'  pluzling  wie  vun  a 
Kischef  varfiihrt  gewor'en,  un'  was  mit  ihr  thut  sich 
itzt,  is'  schwer  un'  bitter  selbst  auszureden ;  un'  die 
standig  getreue  Mutter  bet'  itzt  mit  Trahren,  heiss  wie 
Feuer,  nit  Gesund,  nit  lange  Jahren  far  ihr  Kind,  aber 
a  Todt  a  gichen,  was  wet  gleicher  sein  far  dem  Kind 
noch  mehr  wie  far  der  Mutter. 

Sie  hat  noch  ihr  miitterliche  Treuheit  in  ihr  Harzen, 
wie  noch  ehder  das  Ungliick  is'  geschehn.  .  .  .  Nor  take 
derfar  bett'  sie  bei  Gott  aso  heiss  ot  dem  Todt  auf  ihr 
Kind.  Kein  bessere  Sach  seht  sie  nit  in  der  Welt  un' 
kein  ander  Sach  kann  sie  bei  Gott  dem  lebediaren  lieunt 


CHRESTOMATHY  317 

as  then ;  in  two  large  boxes  filled  with  sand  on  both 
sides  of  the  altar  there  are  burning  to-day  the  waxen 
soul-lights  just  as  thirty  years  ago,  though  for  other, 
fresh  souls  that  have  become  souls  only  within  the  last 
thirty  years.  And  they  burn,  some  quietly  and  softly, 
and  some  flickering  and  melting,  and  urchins  are  now 
as  then  picking  up  the  pieces  of  molten  wax. 

Although  the  voice  of  the  Precentor  is  now  different, 
yet  the  words  w^hich  he  says,  and  the  tune  which  he 
sings,  are  the  same,  precisely  the  same,  not  a  bit 
changed. 

And  the  tears  are  the  same  that  flow  to-day  in 
streams  there  behind  the  curtained  windows  in  the 
woman's  gallery,  though  from  other  eyes  they  flow, 
from  other  tortured  hearts.  .  .  . 

On  the  same  spot  where  thirty  years  ago  the  unfortu- 
nate mother  had  been  standing  and  mourning  her  be- 
loved daughter  who  had  departed  so  young  from  this 
world,  there  is  to-day  also  standing  a  mother  and  dis- 
solving her  heart  in  hot  tears.  She  is  bewailing  and 
lamenting  her  beautiful  daughter  who  had  once  been 
her  blessing,  a  girl,  as  pure  as  gold,  who  had  been  mis- 
led as  if  by  witchery,  and  of  whom  it  would  be  hard 
and  bitter  to  say  what  she  is  doing  now ;  and  the  ever- 
true  mother  prays  now  with  tears,  as  hot  as  fire,  not  for 
health,  not  for  long  years  for  her  child,  but  for  quick 
death,  which  would  be  better  for  the  child  even  than 
for  the  mother. 

She  still  harbors  her  mother's  truth  in  her  heart,  even 
as  before  the  calamity  had  happened.  .  .  .  For  that  very 
reason  she  prays  to  God  so  fervently  to  grant  death  to 
her  child.  She  sees  no  better  thing  in  the  world,  and 
she  can  ask  for  no  better  thing  to-day  of  the  living  God. 


318  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

nit  betten.  Un'  es  giessen  sich  ihre  Trahren  still  un' 
fallen  liber  die  Worter  vun  ihre  Tchines ;  sie  halt  dem 
Kopp  in  Ssider  eingegraben  un'  schtimt  sich  ihre  A  ugen 
arauszunehmen,  tomer  begegnen  see  sich  mit  Augen, 
was  wollen  ihr  Schand'  dersehn,  was  is'  wie  a  Fleck 
auf  ihr  Ponim  gewor'en.  .  .  . 

Un'  punkt  dort,  wu  die  areme  Almone  is'  gestan'en 
mit  dreissig  Jahr  zuriick  un'  hat  minutenweis  gekuckt, 
ihre  Jessomim  in  Schul  zu  sehn,  5b  see  dawnen,  6b  see 
nehmen  a  jiidisch  Wort  in  Maul  arein,  un'  hat  gechlipet 
weinendig,  as  ihre  Augen  haben  nit  gefun'en,  was  see 
haben  gesucht,  steht  lieunt  a  jiidische  Tochter  un'  kuckt 
durch  das  Vorhangel,  un'  sie  weiss  allein  nit,  auf  wemen 
sie  kuckt  mehr,  zi  auf  ihr  Mann,  was  macht  wilde  Be- 
wegungen  mit  beide  Hiind'  un'  mit  sein  ganzen  Korper, 
oder  auf  dem  jungen  Menschen,  was  sitzt  auch  in 
Misrach-wand  nit  weit  vun  ihm  un'  dawent  wie  a  Jiid' 
un'  sitzt  ruhig  wie  a  Mensch. 

Welche  Gedanken  laufen  ihr  durch  ihr  Kopp  itzund! 
Wieviel  Trahren  hat  sie  vargossen  vun  jenem  Tag  an, 
as  der  junger  Mann  is'  gewor'en  aus  Chossen  ihrer  un' 
der  wilder  Chossen  is'  ihr  Mann, ihr  Brotgeber  gewor'en! 
Wieviel  Wunden  tragt  sie  seitdem  still  un'  tief  var- 
schlossen  in  ihr  jildischen  Harzen  un'  peinigt  sich  vun 
ihre  eigene  Gedanken,  wiis  tracht  sich  ihr  nit  woUendig, 
nor  sie  hat  kein  Kdacli  nit,  nit  zu  trachten.  Un'  wie  bett' 
sie  itzt  Gott,  er  soil  ausloschen  das  siindige  Feuer  vun 
ihr  siindig  Harz,  ausloschen  All's,  wiis  brennt  un'  kocht 
in  ihr,  sie  soil  vargessen,  wiis  is'  gewesen,  nit  wissen, 
wie  es  darf  zu  sein,  nor  ein  Sach  soil  sie  wissen,  wie  lieb 
zu  haben  ihr  Mann,  welcher  wet  un'  mus  ihr  Mann 
bleiben  bis  ihr  Todt !  Sie  soil  ihm  lieben  bei  alle  seine 
Unmenschlichkeit,  bei  sein  Wildkeit,  un'  selbst  wenn 


CIIRESTOMATIIY  310 

And  her  tears  flow  quietly  and  fall  on  the  words  of 
her  Prayer ;  she  holds  her  head  buried  on  the  Prayer- 
book  and  is  ashamed  to  lift  her  eyes,  lest  they  meet 
some  eyes  that  may  recognize  her  shame  which  has 
become  as  a  spot  upon  her  face.  .  .  . 

And  precisely  there  where  the  poor  widow  had  been 
standing  thirty  years  before  and  had  looked  every  min- 
ute to  catch  a  glimpse  of  her  orphans,  to  see  whether 
they  were  praying,  whether  they  were  reciting  the 
Hebrew  words,  and  had  burst  out  in  sobs  when  her 
eyes  did  not  find  that  which  she  had  been  looking  for, 
there  is  standing  to-day  a  young  Jewess,  and  she  peeps 
through  the  curtain,  and  she  does  not  know  herself  at 
whom  she  is  looking  more,  whether  at  her  husband  who 
is  wildly  gesticulating  with  both  his  arms  and  his  whole 
body,  or  at  the  young  man  who  is  also  seated  at  the 
Eastern  wall  not  far  from  him  and  is  praying  as  be- 
hooves a  Jew  and  is  sitting  quietly  as  behooves  a  man. 

What  thoughts  are  now  rushing  through  her  head ! 
How  many  tears  she  has  shed  since  that  day  when  the 
young  man  broke  off  his  relations  with  her,  and  the 
uncouth  man  had  become  her  husband,  her  breadgiver  ! 
How  many  wounds  she  has  been  carrying  since  then 
quietly  and  deeply  buried  in  her  Jewish  heart,  and  has 
been  tortured  by  her  own  thoughts  which  crowd  upon 
her  against  her  will,  and  which  she  has  no  strength  to 
repel  !  And  how  she  now  implores  God  that  He  may 
extinguish  the  sinful  fire  from  her  sinful  heart,  that  He 
may  extinguish  all  that  burns  and  boils  within  her,  that 
she  should  forget  all  that  had  been,  that  she  should  not 
know  how  it  ought  to  have  been,  that  she  should  know 
but  one  thing,  how  to  love  her  husband,  Avho  is  and 
must  remain  her  husband  until  her  death  I     To  love 


320  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

er  schlagt  sie,  soil  sie  nor  allein  wissen,  Ssonim  sollen 
nit  derfreut  Aver'eu  un'  sie  soil  alle  ihre  Pein  far  Gut 
konnen  annehmen,  wie  Der,  was  theilt  dem  Gorel  ein 
jeder  Ischo,  hat  a  jiidischer  Frau  geboten.  .  .  . 

Un'  es  fliessen  ihre  Trahren  auf  dem  eigenem  Ort, 
wu  es  haben  asolche  Trahren  gegossen  mit  dreissig 
Jahr  zuriick  vun  a  ganz  ander  Grund  un'  Quelle.  Un' 
see  fallen  auf  dieselbe  Worter  vun  Machser,  was  jede 
jiidische  Frau  varsteht  see  andersch  als  die  andere. 

Nor  dort  in  Mairew-seit,  nit  weit  vun  Thiir',  weinen 
die  areme  jiidische  Frauen  audi  heunt  mit  dem  eigenem 
Nigen,  mit  dem  eigenem  betriibten  Harzen  wie  mit 
dreissig  Jahr  zuriick. 

Aremkeit,  Hunger,  Not  un'  Mangel  haben  alle  Mai 
ein  Ponim,  ein  Tarn  un'  ein  Ort  bei  der  Thiir.  As5 
sauer  un'  bitter  das  Gewein,  was  kummt  vun  Nieder- 
geschlagene,  is'  a  Mai  gewesen,  wet  iiuch  ebig  sein. 
Alle  Wiinsche  un'  Gelliste  vun  Menschen  wollen  sich 
iiberbeiten  un'  beiten  sich,  nor  der  Wunsch  vun  dem 
Hungerigen  wet  ebig  bleiben  das  Stiickele  Brot ;  die 
Gelliste  vun  dem  Notbediirftigen  wet  iiuch  ebig  heis- 
sen :  Vun  der  Not  befreit  zu  wer'en  un'  nit  mehr  zu 
wissen  vun  dem  Tam,  was  es  hat !   .  .  . 

Un'  dort  bei  der  Thiir  stehn  itzt  iiuch  nit  weniger 
Finstere,  Ausgetruckente  un  Schofele,  nebech,  horen 
oder  horen  nit  die  Sagerke  un'  weinen,  wie  see  zum 
Harzen  is',  —  es  is'  Jonkiper. 

Nor  in  rechten  mitten  Misrach-wand,  auf  dem  eige- 
nem Ort,  wu  die  frumme  Giitele  hat  mit  dreissig  Jahr 
zuriick  gedawent,  seht  miin  itzt  iiuch  a  choschewe  Frau, 
korew  zu  fufzig  Jahr,  sitzt  still  un' trauerig,  wie  a  Der- 
hargete,  ihre  Lippen  varschlossen.  Die  Augen  kucken 
in  offenem  Korben-minche,  nor  see  sehn  die  Worter  uit. 


CHRESTOMATIIY  321 

him  with  all  his  iiihunianity,  with  all  his  uncouthness, 
and  even  when  he  beats  her,  she  alone  to  know  it,  lest 
her  enemies  be  not  rejoiced,  and  that  she  may  accept  all 
her  troubles  in  good  spirits,  just  as  He  who  gives  each 
woman  her  lot,  has  bidden  a  Jewish  woman  to  do.  .  .  . 

And  her  tears  flow  on  the  same  spot  where  just  such 
tears  have  flowed  thirty  years  before  for  another  reason 
and  from  another  source.  And  they  fall  on  the  same 
words  of  the  Prayer-book,  which  every  Jewish  woman 
interprets  in  her  own  way. 

Only  at  the  Western  wall,  not  far  from  the  door,  the 
poor  women  are  weeping  to-day  with  the  same  intona- 
tion, with  the  same  burdened  heart  as  thirty  years  ago. 

Poverty,  hunger,  misery,  and  want  have  always  the 
same  face,  the  same  appearance,  and  the  same  place  at 
the  door.  Just  as  oppressive  and  as  bitter  as  the  weep- 
ing that  issues  from  the  downtrodden  has  been  before, 
it  will  eternally  be.  All  desires  and  longings  will 
change  and  are  actually  changing,  but  the  want  of  the 
hungry  will  eternally  remain  a  piece  of  bread  ;  the  long- 
ings of  the  needy  will  eternally  be  :  To  be  freed  from 
want  and  not  to  know  the  feeling  thereof !  .  .  . 

And  there  at  the  door  there  now  stand  just  such 
gloomy,  emaciated,  and  dispirited  women,  who  listen 
or  do  not  listen  to  the  Reader  and  weep  out  of  the 
fulness  of  their  hearts,  —  it  is  the  Atonement  da3^ 

In  the  very  centre  of  the  Eastern  wall,  in  the  same 
spot  where  the  pious  Giitele  had  been  praying  thirty 
years  before,  one  may  even  now  discern  a  woman,  nigh 
unto  fifty  years,  sitting  quietly  and  sadly,  like  one  struck 
dead,  with  closely  pressed  lips.  Her  eyes  look  into  the 
open  Prayer-book,  but  they  do  not  see  the  words. 


322  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

Farwas  weint  sie  nit? 

Is'  ihr  aso  gut  zu  Muth,  as  selbst  Jonkiper  kann  sie 
ihr  Harz  nit  zuthun,  zu  dermahnen,  as  kein  Gut's  is' 
nit  ebig  un'  der  lebediger  Mensch  weiss  nit,  was  morgen 
kann  sein? 

Oder  is'  sie  nit  a  jiidische  Frau,  a  Frau  vun  a  Mann 
un'  Kinder,  un'  welche  jiidische  Frau  hat  nit  ergez  eine 
oder  mehrere  Ursachen,  wegen  was  Jonkiper  zu  betten 
un'  a  heissen  Trahr  lasen  fallen? 

Is'  sie  efscher  aso  hart  un'  aso  schlecht,  aso  stolz  un' 
vornehm  bei  sich,  as  ihr  passt  nit  zu  weinen,  Leut' 
soUen  ihre  Triihren  nit  sehn  un'  nit  klahren,  sie  is 
gleich  zu  AUemen? 

Nein !  Chanele,  "  die  Gute,  die  Kluge  "  is'  ihr  Namen, 
—  ihre  jetzt  truckene  Augen  sagen  noch  Eedes,  as  see 
haben  in  sejer  Zeit  viel,  viel  geweint ;  sie  is'  nit  stolz 
un'  schamt  sich  nit  zu  weinen,  bifrat  Jonkiper,  was 
weint  sich  memeele  ! 

Farwas-ze  weint  sie  nit? 

Es  kucken  auf  ihr  viel  Augen  un'  wundern  sich  : 
Was  is'  heunt  mit  ihr  der  Mahr  mehr  als  alle  Jahr? 
Nor  sie  kuckt  trucken,  wie  varsteinert,  in  ihr  Ssider; 
nit  sie  weint,  nit  sie  dawent.  A  Pilar  Mill  hat  sie  diis 
Vorhangel  varbogen,  a  Kuck  gethun  in  miinnerscher 
Schul,  sich  bald  zuriick  aweggesetzt  un'  jeder  Mai  alls 
traueriger  un'  beklemmter  wie  friiher. 

As  der  Chasen  hat  angehoben  dawnen  INIussaf,  hat 
sie  noch  a  Mfd  a  Kuck  gethun  durch  das  Fensterl,  die 
Augen  senen  unruhig  umgeloffen  liber  der  ganzer 
Schul,  —  sie  hat  sich  zuriick  aAveggesetzt. 

"  Er  is'  noch  alls  nitda  !  "  hat  ihr  Harz  geredt  inner- 
lich,   "  Zu  Mussaf  alilc  hat  er  nit  gekonnt  kummen? 


CHRESTOMATHY  323 

Why  does  she  not  weep? 

Is  she  so  happy  that  even  on  the  day  of  Atonement 
she  cannot  prevail  over  her  heart  to  consider  that  no 
good  is  eternal,  and  mortal  man  does  not  know  what 
to-morrow  may  be? 

Or  is  she  not  a  Jewish  woman,  a  woman  havinof 
husband  and  children?  and  where  is  there  a  Jewish 
woman  that  has  not  some  one  or  more  reasons  for 
weeping  on  the  Atonement  day,  and  shedding  hot 
tears  ? 

Is  she,  perhaps,  so  hard  of  heart  and  so  bad,  so 
haughty  and  conceited,  that  she  does  not  think  it 
proper  to  weep,  lest  people  should  see  her  tears  and 
deem  her  equal  with  the  others? 

No !  Chanele,  —  they  call  her  the  good,  the  wise  Cha- 
nele,  —  her  very  dry  eyes  are  witness  that  she  has  wept 
much,  very  much  in  her  time ;  she  is  not  proud  and  is 
not  ashamed  to  weep,  especially  on  the  Atonement  day, 
when  tears  come  of  their  own  accord ! 

Why,  then,  does  she  not  weep? 

Many  eyes  are  looking  at  her  and  wondering  why 
she  is  so  different  from  other  years,  why  she  looks  stol- 
idly, like  one  turned  to  stone,  into  the  Prayer-book, 
why  she  is  neither  weeping  nor  praying.  A  few  times 
she  pushed  aside  the  curtain,  looked  doA^ai  into  the 
men's  division,  seated  herself  again  in  her  place  and 
looked  each  time  sadder  and  more  oppressed  than 
before. 

When  the  Precentor  began  to  read  the  Mussaf-prayer, 
she  once  more  peeped  through  the  window,  her  eyes  ran 
restlessh'  over  the  whole  synagogue,  and  she  went  back 
to  her  seat. 

"  He  has  not  come  yet !  "  her  heart  spoke  to  her 
inwardly.     ''Even  to  the  Mussaf  he  could  not  come? 


324  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

Och,  un'  das  is'  mein  Kind,  mein  Bchor !  Vun  ihm 
hab'  ich  das  aso  viel  Jessurim  un'  Schmerzen  ariiber- 
getragen,  bis  ich  hab'  ihm  auf  die  Fiiss'  gestellt ! 

"  Ja,  mein  Kind,  mein  Wund'  !  Ein  ander  Mutter 
wollt'  ihm  sein  Gebein  varscholten,  sie  Avollt'  gesagt : 
Nit  du  bist  mein  Suhn,  nit  ich  bin  dein  Mutter,  —  ich 
kiinn  es  aber  nit,  —  sei  mir  m5chel,  Gott  in  Himmel, 
was  ich  ruf  ihm  noch  "  mein  Kind,  mein  Suhn  !  "  .  .  . 
O,  ich  kann  bei  Dir  auf  sich  betten  a  T5dt,  aber  nit 
auf  mein  Kind  !  —  Straf '  mich,  Rib5ne-schel-olem,  mich, 
sein  siindige  Mutter,  efscher  bin  ich  schuldig  in  dem, 
was  er  is'  vun  rechten  Weg  arab  un'  hat  Dich,  lebediger 
Gott,  vargessen  un'  hat  dein  Tore  varlasen  un'  thut 
dein  Gebot  nit?  Ja,  ich  bin  schuldig,  ich  hab'  ihm  zu 
viel  lieb  geha't  •,  was  er  hat  gebeten,  hab'  ich  gethun ; 
ich  hab'  sich  mit  sein  frummen  Vater  standig  arumge- 
kriegt,  as  er  flegt  ihm  bestrafen  wollen.  Ich  hab'  ihm 
ausgehodewet,  wie  er  is',  un'  mich  straf  far  ihm! "  .  .  . 

J.    DiENESOHN. 


XVII.    AUF'N  BUSEN  VUN  JAM 

('  Songs  from  the  Ghetto,'  i  pp.  70-76) 
Der  schrecklicher  Wind,  der  gefahrlicher  Sturem, 
Er  rangelt  sich  dort  mit  a  Schiff  auf  'n  Meer ; 
Er  will  sie  zubrechen,  un'  sie  mit  Jessurim 
Schneid't  durch  alle  Tiefeniss,  krachzendig  schwer. 

Es  treschtschet  der  Mastbaum,  der  Segel,  er  zittert, 
Der  rauschender  Wasser  is'  moredig  tief ;  — 
Es  ktimpfen  mit  Zoren,  es  streiten  varbittert 
Auf  Todt  un'  auf  Leben  der  Wind  mit  der  Schiff. 

^  Published  by  Copeland  and  Day;  with  permission  of  the  publishers. 


CHRESTOMATHY  325 

Oh,  and  that  is  my  child,  my  first-born  !  For  his  sake 
I  have  borne  so  many  privations  and  pains,  that  I 
might  be  able  to  place  him  on  his  feet ! 

"  Yes,  my  child,  my  sore  vexation  !  Another  mother 
would  have  cui-sed  his  bones;  she  would  have  said:  'You 
are  not  my  son,  I  am  not  your  mother,'  —  But  I  cannot 
do  that,  —  forgive  me,  O  Lord,  that  I  still  call  him  '  my 
child,  my  son '  !  .  .  .  Oh,  I  can  ask  for  my  death  of 
You,  but  not  for  the  death  of  my  child !  Punish  me, 
Lord  of  the  Universe,  me,  his  sinful  mother  I  Maybe 
I  am  to  be  blamed  that  he  has  departed  from  the  road 
of  righteousness,  and  has  forgotten  You,  O  living  God, 
and  has  abandoned  Your  Law  and  does  not  do  Your 
commandments  I  Yes,  I  am  to  be  blamed  for  it,  I  have 
loved  him  too  much ;  I  always  did  what  he  wanted  me 
to  do ;  I  have  always  quarrelled  with  his  pious  father 
when  he  wanted  to  punish  him.  I  have  raised  him 
such  as  he  is,  and  do  punish  me  for  him  !  "  .  .  . 


XVn.  ON  THE  BOSOM  OF  THE  OCEAN 

The  terrible  wind,  the  dangerous  storm,  is  wrestling 
with  a  ship  on  the  ocean ;  it  is  trying  to  break  her,  but 
she  in  distress  cuts  through  the  deep,  groaning  heavily. 


The  mast  cracks,  the  sail  trembles,  frightful  is  the 
depth  of  the  roaring  waters ;  the  wind  struggles  des- 
perately with  the  ship  iu  a  life  and  death  combat. 


326  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

Ot  mus  sie  sicli  legen,  ot  mus  sie  sich  stellen, 
Ot  treibt  es  zuriick  ihr,  ot  treibt  es  varaus,  — 
A  Spielchel  is'  itzter  die  Scliiff  bei  die  Wellen, 
See  sclilingen  sie  ein  un'  see  speien  sie  aus. 

Es  laremt  der  Jam,  un'  es  heben  sich  Chwales ; 
Es  liuzet,  es  pildert  mit  Schreck  un'  mit  Graul  j  — 
Der  Sturem,  der  Gaslen,  will  umbrengen  Alles, 
Der  Thorn  offent  auf  sein  varschlossene  Maul. 

Es  horen  sich  Siifzen,  es  hort  sich  ein  Beten, 
's  is'  gross  die  Ssakone,  's  is'  schrecklich  die  N5t, 
Un'  Jederer  bet't  bei  sein  Gott,  er  soil  retten, 
Befreien  die  Menschen  vun  sicheren  Todt. 

Das  weinen  die  Kinder,  es  klagen  die  Weiber, 
Miin  schreit  un'  miin  is'  sich  miswade  aziind  : 
Es  fiatteren  Seelen,  es  zitteren  Leiber 
Var  Schreck  var  dem  boesen,  varnichtenden  Wind. 

Doch  unten,  in  Zwischendeck,  sitzen  zwei  Manner 
Ganz  ruhig,  see  riihrt  nit  der  mindester  Well ; 
See  sucheu  kein  Rettung,  see  klaren  kein  Planer, 
Wie  Alls  woUt'  sein  sicher  un'  still  arum  see. 

Es  laremt  das  Wasser,  die  Wellen,  see  schiiumen, 
Es  wojet,  es  mojet  meschune  der  Wind ; 
Es  ssappet  der  Kessel,  es  huzet  der  Komen  ; 
Doch  unten  die  Zwei,  seht,  see  schweigen  aziind. 

See  kucken  mit  Kaltkeit  dem  T5dt  in  die  Augen, 
See  riihrt  nit  dem  Sturem's  gefiihrliche  jSIacht ; 
Es  scheint,  as  der  Tddt  hat  allein  nor  erzdgen 
See  Beiden,  in  Schreck  un'  in  linsterer  Nacht. 


CHRESTOMATIIY  327 

Now  she  must  lie  down,  now  again  she  must  rise, 
now  she  is  driven  back,  now  forward ;  —  the  ship  is  a 
phiything  of  the  waves  that  swallow  her  up  and  spit 
her  out  again. 

The  ocean  roars,  the  billows  rise,  and  lash,  and 
thunder  in  awful  terror,  the  murderous  storm  wants 
to  destroy  everything,  —  the  abyss  opens  up  its  closed 
jaws. 

There  are  heard  sighs  and  prayers.  Great  is  the 
danger  and  dreadful  the  calamity,  —  and  everybody 
prays  to  his  God  that  He  may  save  and  liberate  the 
people  from  sure  death. 

Children  weep,  women  wail ;  the  people  cry  and 
confess  their  sins ;  souls  flutter,  bodies  tremble  in 
terror  of  the  angry,  destructive  wind. 


But  below,  in  the  steerage,  two  men  sit  quietly  ;  no 
pain  assails  them ;  they  seek  no  salvation,  they  make 
no  plans,  just  as  if  all  were  safe  and  calm  about  them. 


The  water  roars,  the  billows  foam  ;  the  wind  whines 
and  howls  insanely ;  the  boiler  gasps,  the  chimney 
buzzes, —  but  the  men  below,  behold,  they  are  silent 
now ! 

They  look  coolly  into  the  eyes  of  Death ;  the  dan- 
gerous might  of  the  storm  touches  them  not ;  it  seems 
as  though  Death  had  reared  the  two  in  terror  and  dark 
nio'ht. 


328  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

"  Wer  seid  ilir,  Ungllickliche,  —  lasst  es  docli  horen,  — 
Was  konnen  varschweigen  die  gwaldigste  N5t, 
Was  haben  kein  Slifzen,  un'  haben  kein  Trahren, 
Afile  bei'm  schrecklichen  Thoer  vun  Todt  ? 

"  Sagt,  haben  euch  take  nor  Kworim  geboren  ? 
Ihr  lasst  gar  kein  Elteren,  Weib  oder  Kind, 
Zu  weinen  auf  euch,  wenn  ihr  werd't  da  varloren 
In  tief en,  in  schrecklichen  Abgrund  aziind  ? 

"  Wie  ?    Lasst  ihr  nit  Keinem,  was  ihm  soil  vardriessen, 
Was  er  soil  wenn  baenken,  zu  lasen  a  Trahr, 
Wenn  euch  wet  der  nasser  Bessolem  vargiessen, 
Wenn  ihr  wet  da  kein  Mai  zurlickkehren  mehr? 

"  Wie  ?     Ha't  ihr  kein  Vaterland  gar,  kein  Medine, 
Kein  Heim,  wu  zu  kummen,  kein  freundliche  Stub', 
Was  ihr  ha't  behalten  in  sich  asa  Ssine 
Zura  Leben  un'  wart't  auf  der  finsterer  Grub'  ? 

"  Ihr  ha't  gar  nit  Keinem  in  Himmel  dort  oben, 
Zu  wemen  zu  schreien,  wenn  ihr  seid  in  Zar? 
Ihr  ha't  gar  kein  Volk  nit,  ihr  ha't  gar  kein  Gliiuben  ? 
Varlorene,  was  is'  mit  euch  far  a  Gsar  ?  " 

Es  giinezt  der  Abgrund,  es  brausen  die  Inden, 
Es  krachen  die  Leiters  vun  Schiff,  un'  es  tragt, 
Es  hulet  der  Sturem,  es  pfeifen  die  Winden, 
Un'  Einer  hat  endlich  mit  Trahren  gesagt : 

"  Der  schwarzer  Bessolem  is'  nit  unser  Mutter, 
Nit  is'  unser  Wiegel  der  Keewer  gewe'n  ;  — 
FjH  hat  uns  geboren  a  Malach  a  guter, 
A  teuerc  Mutter,  mit  Liebe  varsehn. 


CHRESTOMATHY  329 

"  Who  are  you,  wretched  ones,  tell  me,  that  you  can 
suppress  the  most  terrible  sufferings,  that  you  have  no 
sighs  and  no  tears  even  at  the  awful  gates  of  Death? 


"  Say,  have,  indeed,  graves  brought  you  forth  ?  Do 
you  leave  behind  j'ou  no  parents,  no  wife,  no  child  Avho 
will  lament  you  when  you  are  lost  here  in  the  deep  and 
dreadful  abyss  ? 

"  How  ?  Have  you  no  one  to  be  sorry  for  you,  to 
long  for  you,  or  shed  a  tear,  when  the  wet  cemetery  will 
cover  you,  when  you  will  no  more  return  to  this  earth  ? 


"  How  ?  Have  you  no  fatherland,  no  country,  no 
home  where  to  go  to,  no  friendly  house,  that  you  bear 
such  a  contempt  for  life,  and  are  waiting  for  the  dark 
grave  ? 

"  Have  you  no  one  in  heaven  above  to  whom  to  cry 
when  you  are  in  trouble?  Have  you  no  nation,  have 
you  no  faith?     Miserable  ones,  what  is  your  fate?" 


The  abyss  yawns,  the  waves  bellow,  the  shipladders 
crack,  the  storm  rages  madly,  the  winds  whistle,  —  and 
finally  one  says  in  tears  : 


"  The  black  cemetery  is  not  our  mother,  the  grave 
has  not  been  our  cradle  ;  a  good  angel  has  borne  us,  a 
dear  mother,  endowed  with  love. 


330  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

"  Es  hat  uns  gepjestet  a  Mame,  erzogen 
A  zartliche,  wareme,  freundliche  Brust  ; 
Gekiclielt  un'  stiindig  gekuckt  in  die  Aiigen 
Hat  uns  auch  a  Vater,  un'  lieblich  gekusst. 

"  Mir  haben  a  Haus,  nor  man  hat  sie  zubrochen, 
Un'  unsere  heiligste  Sachen  varbrennt, 
Die  Liebste  un'  Beste  varwandelt  in  Knochen, 
Die  Letzte  varjagt  mit  gebundene  Hand'. 

"  Man  kenn'  unser  Land,  o,  sie  lasst  sich  derkennen : 
Durch  Jagen,  durch  Schhlgen  nit  werendig  miid', 
Durch  wikle  Pogromen,  durch  Brechen,  durch  Brennen, 
Durch  Suchen  dem  Todt  far  dem  elenden  Jiid. 

"  Un'  mir  seinen  Jiiden,  varwogelte  Jiiden, 

Ohn'   Freund  un'   ohn'    Freuden,  ohn'    Hoffnung   auf 

Gliick.  — 
Nit  fragt  mehr,  o,  friigt  nit,  o,  seht,  lasst  zufrieden ! 
Amerika  treibt  uns  nach  Russland  zuriick, 

"  Nach  Russland,  vun  wannen  mir  seinen  antloffen, 
Nach  Russland  derfar,  was  mir  haben  kein  Geld; 
Auf  was  bleibt  uns  itzter  zu  warten,  zu  hoffen  ? 
Was  taug'  uns  das  Leben,  die  finstere  Welt  ? 

"  Ihr  ha't  wils  zu  weinen,  ihr  ha't  wfis  zu  brummen, 
Ihr  ha't  was  zu  schrecken  sich  itzt  far  dem  Todt, 
Ihr  ha't  gewiss  Alle  a  Heim,  wu  zu  kummen, 
Un'  fahrt  vun  Amerika  iiuch  nit  aus  Not. 

"Doch  mir  seinen  Elende,  gleich  zu  die  Steiner: 
Die  Erd'  is'  zu  schlecht,  uns  zu  schenken  an  Ort  — 
Mir  filhren,  doch  leider,  es  wart't  auf  uns  Keiner, 
Erklilrt  mir,  ich  bet'  euch,  wu  reisen  mir  fort  ! 


CHRESTOMATHY  331 

"  A  mother  has  fondled  us,  a  tender,  warm,  friendly 
breast  has  nurtured  us  ;  a  father,  too,  has  stroked  us 
and  looked  into  our  eyes,  and  kissed  us  tenderly. 


"  We  have  a  house,  but  it  has  been  destroyed,  and 
our  holy  things  have  been  burned  ;  our  dearest  and  best 
have  been  turned  into  bones,  and  those  who  survive 
have  been  driven  away  with  fettered  hands. 

"  You  know  our  country ;  it  is  easily  recognized  b}' 
its  unceasing  baiting  and  beating,  by  its  cruel  riots,  its 
ruthless  destruction,  and  dealing  death  to  the  wretched 
Jew. 

"  Yes,  we  are  Jews,  miserable  Jews,  without  friends 
or  joys,  without  hopes  or  happiness.  Oh,  ask  us  no 
more,  ask  no  more,  oh,  leave  us  in  peace !  America 
drives  us  back  to  Russia, 


"To  Russia,  whence  we  have  run  away,  to  Russia, 
because  we  have  no  money.  What  is  there  left  for  us 
to  expect,  to  hope  for  ?  Of  what  good  is  life,  and  the 
gloomy  world  to  us  ? 

"You  have  something  to  weep  for;  you  have  reason 
to  murmur  and  to  be  afraid  of  Death!  You  have,  no 
doubt,  a  home  where  to  go  to,  and  you  have  left  America 
not  from  necessity. 

"  But  we  are  forlorn  and  alone  like  a  rock.  Earth  is 
too  mean  to  give  us  a  resting-place;  we  are  voyaging, 
but,  unfortunately,  no  one  waits  for  us.  Explain  to  me, 
pray,  whither  we  are  bound  I 


332  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

"  Soil  sturmen  der  Wind,  soil  er  brummen  mit  Zoren, 
Soil  sieden,  soil  kochen,  soil  rauschen  der  Grund ! 
Denn  's  sei  wie  's  sei  seinen  mir  Jiiden  varloren, 
Der  Jam  nor  varlosclit  unser  brennende  Wund'.  ..." 

M.    BOSENFELD. 

XVIII.    BONZJE  SCHWEIG' 

{Literatur  un''  Leben,  pp.  11-22) 

Da,  auf  der  Welt,  hat  Bonzje  Scliweig's  Todt  gar  kein 
Roschem  nischt  gemacht !  Friigt  Emizen  becheerem, 
wer  Bonzje  is'  gewesen,  wie  aso  er  hat  gelebt,  auf  was 
er  is'  gestorben  !  Zu  hat  in  ihm  das  Harz  geplatzt,  zu 
die  Koches  senen  ihm  ausgegangen,  oder  der  March- 
bein  hat  sich  iibergebrochen  unter  a  schwerer  Last  .  .  . 
wer  weisst  ?     Ef  scher  is'  er  gar  var  Hunger  gestorben  ! 

A  Ferd  in  Tramwaj  soil  fallen,  woUt'  man  sich  mehr 
interessirt,  es  wollten  Zeitungen  geschrieben,  hunderter 
Menschen  wollten  vun  alle  Gassen  geloffen  un'  die 
Neweele  bekuckt,  betracht't  afile  dem  Ort,  wu  die 
Mapole  is'  gewe'n.  .  .  . 

Nor  das  Ferd  in  Tramwaj  wollt'  auch  die  S-chie 
nischt  geha't,  es  soil  sein  tausend  Milljon  Ferd'  wie 
Menschen! 

Bonzje  hat  still  gelebt  un'  is'  still  gestorben;  wie  a 
Schatten  is'  er  durch  durch  unser  Welt. 

Auf  Bonzje's  Bris  hat  man  kein  Wein  nischt  getrun- 
ken,  es  haben  kein  K5sses  geklungen.  Zu  Barmizwe 
hat  er  kein  kliugendige  Drosche  nischt  gesagt  .  .  . 
gelebt  hat  er  wie  a  gro,  klein  Kerndel  Samd  beim  Breg 
vun'm  Jam,  zwischen  Milljonen  seins  Gleichen;  un'  as 
der  Wind  hat  ihm  aufgehoben  un'  auf  der  anderer  Seit 
Jam  ariiber  gejiigt,  hat  es  Keiner  nischt  bemerkt. 

Beim  Leben  hat  die  nasse  Blote  kein  Schlad  vun  sein 


CHRESTOMATHY  333 

"  Let  storm  the  wind,  let  it  howl  in  anger :  let  the 
deep  seethe,  and  boil,  and  roar  !  However  it  be,  we 
Jews  are  lost,  the  ocean  alone  can  allay  our  burning 
wound.  ..." 


XVIII.    BONTSIE  SILENT 

Here,  in  this  world,  the  death  of  Bontsie  Silent  pro- 
duced no  impression.  You  will  ask  in  vain  who  Bont- 
sie was,  how  he  lived,  and  what  caused  his  death.  Did 
his  heart  burst,  did  his  strength  give  out,  or  were  his 
bones  crushed  under  a  heavy  load  .  .  .  who  knows? 
Maybe,  after  all,  he  died  of  starvation  ! 

There  would  have  been  displayed  more  interest  if  it 
had  been  a  street-car  horse  that  had  fallen  dead.  News- 
papers would  have  reported  about  it,  hundreds  of  people 
would  have  congregated  from  all  the  streets  to  look  at 
the  carcass  and  even  to  survey  the  spot  where  the  acci- 
dent had  occurred ! 

But  even  the  street-car  horse  would  not  be  honored 
in  such  a  distinguished  way  if  there  were  as  many 
millions  of  them  in  existence  as  there  are  men. 

Bontsie  had  lived  quietly,  and  he  died  quietly.  He 
passed  through  the  world  like  a  shadow. 

No  wine  was  drunk  on  the  day  of  Bontsie's  circum- 
cision ;  no  cups  were  clinked.  At  his  confirmation  he 
made  no  flowery  speech  ...  he  lived  like  a  small, 
yellow  grain  of  sand  on  the  seashore,  among  millions 
of  its  kind,  and  no  one  noticed  how  the  wind  lifted 
it  up  and  carried  it  on  the  other  side  of  the  Ocean. 

In  his  lifetime  the  wet  mud  kept  no  impression  of  his 


334  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

Fuss  nischt  behalten  ;  nach'n  Todt  liat  der  Wind  das 
Heine  Brettel  vun  sein  Keewer  umgeworfen,  un'  dem 
Kabren's  Weib  hat  es  gefun'en  weit  vun  Keewer  un' 
derbei  a  Toppel  Kartofifles  abgekocht.  .  .  .  Es  is'  drei 
Tiig'  nach  Bonzje's  Todt,  fragt  dem  Kabren  beeheerem, 
wu  er  hat  ihm  gelegt  ! 

WoUt'  Bonzje  chotsch  a  Mazeewe  geha't,  woUt'  efscher 
"iiber  hundert  Jahr  sie  an  Alterthumsforscher  gefun'en 
un'  Bonzje  Schweig  wollt'  noch  a  Mai  iibergeklungen  in 
unser  Luft. 

A  Schatten,  sein  Photographje  is'  nischt  geblieben 
bei  Keinem  in  Harz ;  es  is'  vun  ihm  kein  Seecher  in 
Keinem's  M5ach  nischt  geblieben  ! 

"  Kein  Kind,  kein  Rind,"  —  elend  gelebt,  elend  ge- 
storben  ! 

Wenn  nischt  das  menschliche  Geruder,  wollt'  efscher 
Emizer  a  Mai  gehort,  wie  Bonzje's  Marchbein  hat  unter 
der  Masse  geknackt :  wollt'  die  Welt  mehr  Zeit  geha't, 
wollt'  Emizer  efscher  a  Mai  bemerkt,  as  Bonzje  (iiuch 
a  Mensch)  hat  lebedigerheit  zwei  ausgeloschene  Augen 
un'  schrecklich  eingefallene  Backen ;  as  afile  wenn  er 
hat  gar  schon  kein  Masse  nit  auf  die  Pleezes,  is'  ihm 
auch  der  Kopp  zu  der  Erd'  gebogen,  gleich  er  wollt' 
lebedigerheit  sein  Keewer  gesucht !  Wollten  aso  wenig 
Menschen  wie  Ferd  in  Tramwaj  gewesen,  wollt'  efscher 
a  Mill  Emizer  gefragt :  Wu  is'  Bonzje  ahin  gekummen  ? 

Wenn  miin  hat  Bonzjen  in  Spital  areingeflihrt,  is' 
sein  Winkel  in  Suterine  nisclit  ledig  geblieben,  —  es 
haben  derauf  zehn  Seins-gleichen  gewart't,  un'  zwischen 
sich  dem  Winkel  "  In-pljum  "  lizitirt ;  wenn  miin  hat'n 
vun  Spitalbett  in  Totenstlibel  arein  getragen,  haben 
auf'n  Bett  zwanzig  iireme  Chaluim  gewart't.  .  .  . 
Wenn  er  is'  araus  vun  Totenstlibel,  hat  man  zwanzig 
I  larugim  vun  unter  ein  eingefallen  Haus  gebrengt,  — 


CHRESTOMATHY  335 

footsteps ;  after  his  death  the  wind  threw  down  the 
small  board  over  his  grave,  and  the  grave-digger's  wife 
found  it  far  away  from  the  mound  and  made  a  fire  with 
it  over  which  she  boiled  a  pot  of  potatoes.  ...  It  is 
but  three  days  since  Bontsie's  death,  but  you  will  ask  in 
vain  of  the  grave-digger  where  he  has  laid  him  at  rest ! 

If  Bontsie  had  had  a  tombstone,  an  archseologist 
might  have  found  it  a  hundred  jeavs  later,  and  Bont- 
sie's name  would  have  resounded  again  in  our  atmos- 
phere. 

He  was  but  a  shadow  :  his  picture  does  not  live  in 
anybody's  heart ;  his  memory  does  not  exist  in  any- 
body's mind ! 

He  left  no  child,  no  possessions !  He  had  lived  in 
misery,  and  he  died  in  misery. 

Had  it  not  been  for  the  noise  of  the  crowd,  some  one 
might  have  heard  the  snapping  of  Bontsie's  bones  under 
a  heavy  burden  ;  if  the  world  had  had  more  time,  some 
one  might  have  noticed  that  Bontsie's  eyes  were  dim 
and  his  eyes  frightfully  sunken  for  one  alive ;  that 
even  when  he  carried  no  load  on  his  shoulders,  his  head 
was  bent  to  the  ground  as  if  he  were  looking  for  the 
grave !  If  there  were  as  few  people  as  there  are  horses 
in  the  street  cars,  some  one  might,  perhaps,  have  asked : 
What  has  become  of  Bontsie  ? 

When  Bontsie  was  taken  to  the  hospital,  his  corner 
in  the  basement  was  not  left  unoccupied ;  ten  people 
of  his  sort  had  been  waiting  for  it,  and  it  was  auctioned 
off  to  the  highest  bidder  ;  Avhen  they  carried  him  from 
the  hospital  bed  to  the  morgue,  twenty  poor  people 
were  waiting  for  his  bed.  When  he  left  the  morgue, 
they  brought  in  twenty  people  who  had  been  killed  by 
a  falling  wall.  .  .  .    Who  knows  how  long  he  will  rest 


336  YIDDISH  LITEKATURE 

wer  weisst,  wie  lang  er  wet  ruhig  wohnen  in  Keewer  ? 
Wer  weisst,  wieviel  es  warten  schon  auf  dem  Stiickel 
Platz.   .   .   . 

Still  geboren,  still  gelebt,  still  gestorben  un'  noch 
stiller  begraben. 

Nor  nisclit  aso  is'  gewesen  auf  jener  Welt !  Dorten 
hat  Bonzje's  Todt  a  grossen  Roschem  gemacht ! 

Der  grosser  Schdfer  vun  Moscliiacli's  Zeiten  hat  ge- 
klungen  in  alle  sieben  Himmlen :  Bonzje  Schweig  is' 
nifter  gewor'en !  Die  grosste  Malochim  mit  die  breit'ste 
Fliigel  senen  geflogen  un'  Einer  dem  Anderen  liberge- 
geben  :  Bonzje  is'  "  nischbakesch  "  gewor'en  "  bischiwo 
schel  majlo  "  !  In  Ganeeden  is'  a  Rasch,  a  Ssimche,  a  Ge- 
ruder  :  "  Bonzje  Schweig  !   A  Spass  Bonzje  Schweig  ! ! !  " 

Junge  Malochimlech  mit  brilljantene  Aeugelech, 
goldene  draht-arbeitene  Fliigelech  un'  silberene  Pan- 
toffelech  senen  Bonzjen  ankegen  geloffen  mit  Ssimche  ! 
Der  Gerasch  vun  die  Fliigel,  das  Klappen  vun  die 
Pantoffelech  un'  das  froehliche  Lachen  vun  die  junge, 
frische,  rosige  Malilechlech  hat  verfiillt  alle  Himmlen 
un'  is'  zugekummen  bis  zum  Kisse-ha-kowed,  un'  Gott 
allein  hat  iiuch  schun  gewusst,  as  Bonzje  Schweig 
kummt ! 

Awrohom  Owinu  hat  sicli  in  Thoer  vun  Himmel 
gestellt,  die  rechte  Hand  ausgestellt  zum  breiten 
"  Scholem-aleechem  !  "  un'  a  siisser  Schmeichel  scheint 
aso  hell  auf  sein  alten  Ponim ! 

Was  rildelt  aso  in  Himmel? 

Das  haben  zwei  Malochim  in  Ganeeden  arein  far 
Bonzje's  wegen  a  gingoldene  Viiterstuhl  auf  Radlech 
gefiihrt ! 

Was  hat  aso  hell  geblitzt? 

Das  hat  miin  durchgefiihrt  a  goldene  Kron',  mit  die 
theuerste  Steiner  gesetzt !     All's  far  Bonzjen  ! 


CHRESTOMATHY  337 

quietly   in   his   grave?     Who   knows   how   many   are 
ah-eady  waiting  for  his  place? 

Born  quietly,  lived  quietly,  died  quietly,  and  still 
more  quietly  buried ! 

But  matters  went  differently  in  the  other  world ! 
There  Bontsie's  death  produced  a  sensation  ! 

The  sound  of  Moses'  ram's  horn  was  heard  in  all  the 
seven  heavens  :  Bontsie  Silent  has  died  !  The  greatest 
angels,  with  the  broadest  wings,  were  flying  about  and 
announcing  the  news  to  each  other :  Bontsie  has  been 
summoned  before  the  Judgment  Seat  I  There  is  a 
noise,  an  excitement,  a  joy  in  Heaven :  Bontsie  Silent ! 
Just  think  of  it,  —  Bontsie  Silent !  I ! 

Young  little  angels  with  sparkling  eyes,  gold-worked 
wings,  and  silver  slippers  rushed  out  to  receive  Bontsie 
with  joy !  The  buzzing  of  their  wings,  the  clatter  of 
their  slippers,  and  the  merry  laughter  of  the  young, 
fresh,  and  rosy  little  mouths  filled  the  heavens  and 
reached  the  Seat  of  Honor,  and  God  himself  knew 
that  Bontsie  Silent  was  coming ! 

Father  Abraham  placed  himself  at  the  gate  of  Heaven, 
and  he  stretched  out  his  right  hand  for  a  friendly 
"  Peace  be  with  you  ! "  and  a  sweet  smile  lit  up  his 
old  face ! 


What  are  they  rolling  there  in  Heaven  ? 
Two  angels  are  rolling  into  Paradise  an  armchair  of 
pure  gold  on  wheels  for  Bontsie  ! 

What  caused  that  lightning? 

They  are  carrying  a  golden  crown,  all  set  in  the  most 
precious  stones  !     All  for  Bontsie  ! 


338  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

—  Noch  var'n  Psak  vun  Bess-din-schel-majle  ?  fragen 
die  Zadikim  verwundert  un'  nischt  gar  ohn'  Kine. 

—  Oh !  entwern  die  Malocliim,  das  wet  sein  a  proste, 
puste  Forme  !  Gegen  Bonzje  Scliweig  wet  afile  der 
Kategor  kein  Wort  in  Maul  nischt  gefin'en !  Die  Djele 
wet  dauern  f iinf  Minut ! 

Ihr  spielt  sich  mit  Bonzje  Schweig  ? 

*  ¥li  ^  *  * 

As  die  Malochimlech  haben  Bonzjen  gechappt  in  der 
Luft  un'  abgespielt  ihm  a  Semer ;  as  Awrohom  Owinu 
hat  ihm  wie  an  alten  Kamrat  die  Hand  geschockelt; 
as  er  hat  gehort,  as  sein  Stuhl  is'  greit  in  Ganeeden ; 
as  auf  sein  Kopp  wart't  a  Kron',  as  in  Bess-din-schel- 
majle  wet  man  iiber  ihm  kein  ilbrig  Wort  nischt  reden, 
—  hat  Bonzje,  gleicli  wie  auf  jener  Welt,  geschwiegen 
var  Schreck !  Es  is'  ihm  das  Harz  entgangen.  Er  is' 
sicher,  as  das  mus  sein  a  Cholem,  oder  a  proster  Toes ! 

Er  is'  Beide  gew5hnt  I  Nischt  ein  Mai  hat  sich  ihm 
auf  jener  Welt  gecholemt,  as  er  klaubt  Geld  auf  der 
Podloge,  ganze  Ozres  liegen  .  .  .  un'  hat  sich  auf- 
gechappt  noch  a  grosserer  Kabzen  wie  nachten.  .  .  . 
Nischt  ein  Mai  hat  man  in'm  a  Toes  gehat,  es  hat  ihm 
Emiz  zugeschmeichelt,  a  gut  Wort  gesagt  un'  bald  sich 
iibergedreht  un'  ausgespiegen.  .  .  . 

—  Mein  Masel,  tracht  er,  is'  sclion  as5 ! 

Un'  er  hat  More,  die  Augen  aufzuheben,  der  Cholem 
soil  nischt  verschwunden  wer'en ;  er  soil  sich  nischt 
aufchappen  ergez  in  a  Hoelil'  zwischen  Schlangen  un' 
Egdissen !  Er  hat  More  vun  Maul  a  Klang  arauszu- 
lasen,  a  Tnue  mit  an  Eewer  zu  machen,  —  miin  soil 
ihm  nischt  derkennen  un'  nischt  awegschleudern  auf 
Kaf-hakal.  .  .  . 

Er  zittert  un'  hort  nit  die  Malochim's  Komplimenten, 


CHRESTOMATHY  339 

"What?  Even  before  the  sentence  of  the  Supreme 
Court  has  been  passed  ?  "  the  saints  ask  not  without 
envy. 

"  Oh !  "  answer  the  angels,  "  that  will  be  a  mere  for- 
mality. The  Prosecuting  Attorney  himself  will  find 
no  words  against  Bontsie  !  The  case  will  last  but  five 
minutes !  " 

Bontsie  Silent  —  that's  no  trifling  matter ! 
***** 

As  the  angels  carried  Bontsie  through  the  air  and 
played  sweet  tunes  to  him ;  as  Father  Abraham  shook 
his  hand  like  that  of  an  old  comrade  ;  as  he  heard  that 
his  chair  was  ready  for  him  in  Paradise,  that  a  crowli 
was  waiting  for  his  head,  that  no  trifling  words  would 
be  spoken  against  him  before  the  Supreme  Court,  — 
Bontsie  was  frightened  into  silence  just  as  in  the  other 
world  !  His  heart  failed  him.  He  was  sure  that  this 
was  but  a  dream,  or  a  mere  mistake  I 

He  had  been  used  to  both.  Many  a  time  he  had 
dreamed  in  the  other  world  of  picking  up  money  from 
the  floor  where  fortunes  were  lying.  .  .  .  More  than 
once  they  had  mistaken  him  for  some  one  else ;  they 
had  smiled  at  him,  had  said  a  good  word,  and  then 
had  turned  aside,  and  spit  out.   .  .  . 

"  That's  just  my  luck  !  "  thought  he. 

And  he  is  afraid  to  raise  his  eyes  for  fear  that  the 
dream  would  disappear,  that  he  should  not  awaken 
somewhere  in  a  cave  full  of  serpents  and  lizards. 
He  is  afraid  to  utter  a  sound,  to  move  a  limb,  lest  he 
be  recognized  and  hurled  to  perdition. 


He  trembles  and  does  not  hear  the  compliments  of 


340  YIDDISH  LITERATUEE 

seht  nischt  sejer  Animtanzen  arum  ihin,  er  entwert 
nischt  Awrohoni  Owinn  auf'n  herzlichen  Scholem- 
aleechem,  un'  —  gefiihrt  zum  Bess-din-schel-majle,  sagt 
er  ihm  kein  "  Gut  Morgen  "  nischt.  .  .  . 

Bonzje  is'  ausser  sich  var  Schreck  ! 

Un'  sein  schreckliche  Schreck  is'  noch  grosser  ge- 
wor'en  as  er  hat,  nischt  willendig,  unter  seine  Fiiss' 
dersehn  die  Podloge  vun  Bess-din-schel-majle.  Ssarae 
Alabaster  mit  Brilljanten !  "  Auf  asa  Podloge  stehen 
meine  Fliss'  !  "  Er  wert  in  Ganzen  verstarrt.  "  Wer 
weisst,  welchen  Gwir,  welchen  Row,  welchen  Zadik 
miin  meint  .  .  .  er  wet  kummen,  wet  sein  mein  finsterer 
Ssof!" 

Var  Schreck  hat  er  afile  nit  gehort,  wie  der  Prases 
hat  befeeresch  ausgerufen  :  "  Die  Djele  vun  Bonzje 
Schweig !  "  un',  derlangendig  dem  Meeliz-joscher  die 
Akten,  gesagt :  "  Les',  nor  bekizer  !  " 

Mit  Bonzjen  dreht  sich  der  ganzer  Salon,  es  rauscht 
ihm  in  die  Oheren,  nor  in'm  Gerausch  hort  er  alle  Mai 
scharfer  un'  scharfer  dem  Malech-meeliz's  siiss  Kol  wie 
a  Fiedel : 

—  Sein  Namen,  hort  er,  hat  ihm  gepasst,  wie  zum 
schlank  Leib  a  Kleid  vun  an  Artist  a  Schneider's  Hand." 

—  Was  redt  er?  fragt  sich  Bonzje,  un'  er  hort,  wie 
an  umgeduldig  Kol  hackt  ihm  iiber  un'  sagt : 

—  Nor  ohn'  Mescholim  ! 

—  Er  hat  kein  Mai,  hebt  weiter  an  der  Meeliz-joscher, 
auf  Keinem  nischt  gekliigt,  nischt  auf  Gott,  nischt  auf 
Leut' ;  in  sein  Aug'  hat  kein  Mai  nischt  aufgeflammt 
kein  Funk'  Ssine,  er  hat  es  kein  Mai  nischt  aufgehoben 
mit  a  Pretensje  zum  Himmel. 

Bonzje  versteht  weiter  nischt  a  Wort,  un'  das  harte 
Kol  schlagt  weiter  iiber : 


CHRESTOMATHY  341 

the  angels,  does  not  see  their  dancing  around  him, 
does  not  reply  to  Father  Abraham's  hearty  "  Peace 
be  with  you ! "  and  being  led  before  the  Supreme 
Court  he  does  not  say  "  Good  morning "  to  them. 

Bontsie  is  beside  himself  with  terror. 

And  his  terrible  fear  is  still  increased  when  by  ac- 
cident he  notices  the  floor  of  the  Court  Hall  under  his 
feet.  Pure  alabaster  and  brilliants  !  "  On  such  a  floor 
do  my  feet  tread ! "  He  grows  stiff  with  fright.  "  Who 
knows  what  rich  man,  what  Rabbi,  what  saint  they 
mean !  .  .  .     I  shall  fare  ill  when  he  will  come !  " 


In  his  terror  he  did  not  even  hear  the  Presiding 
Officer's  call :  "  The  case  of  Bontsie  Silent !  "  and  his 
saying  to  the  Advocate,  as  he  handed  him  the  docu- 
ments :  "  Read,  but  be  short !  " 

The  whole  hall  is  turning  around  with  Bontsie,  there 
is  a  din  in  his  ears,  and  through  it  he  can  distinguish 
more  sharply  and  more  sharply  the  voice  of  the  Advo- 
cate as  sweet  as  a  violin : 

"  His  name,"  he  hears  him  saying,  "  has  fit  him  like 
an  artist-tailor's  gown  on  a  graceful  body." 

"  What  is  he  talking  about?"  Bontsie  asks  himself. 
And  he  hears  an  impatient  voice  interrupting  him,  and 
saying : 

"  Pray,  without  similes  !  " 

"  He  has  never,  proceeds  the  Advocate,  complained 
against  any  one,  neither  against  God  nor  against  man ! 
There  has  never  flamed  up  a  spark  of  hatred  in  his 
eyes  ;  he  has  never  uplifted  them  with  any  pretensions 
to  Heaven." 

Bontsie  again  does  not  understand  a  word,  and  the 
harsh  voice  interrupts  him  : 


342  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

—  Ohn'  Retorik ! 

—  low  hat  nischt  ausgehalten,  er  is'  umgliicklicher 
gewesen  — 

—  Fakten,  truckene  Fakten !  ruf t  noch  umgeduldiger 
Jer  Prases. 

—  Zu  acht  Tag'  hat  men  ihm  male  gewesen  — 

—  Nor  ohn'  Realism  ! 

—  A  Mohel,  a  Fuscher  hat  das  Blut  nit  verhalten  — 

—  Waiter ! 

—  Er  hat  alls  geschwiegen,  fiihrt  welter  der  Meeliz- 
joscher,  afile  wenn  die  Mutter  is'  ihm  gestorben  un'  er 
hat  zu  dreizehn  Jahr  a  Stiefmame  bekummen  ...  a 
Stiefmame  —  a  Schlang,  a  Marschaas.  .  .  . 

—  Meint  man  doch  efscher  fort  mich  ?  tracht  Bonzje. 

—  Ohn'  Insinuazjes  auf  dritte  Personen,  boesert  sich 
der  Prases. 

—  Sie  flegt  ihm  zalewen  dem  Bissen  .  .  .  eher-nachtig 
verschimmelt  Brot  .  .  .  Haar-flachs  far  Fleisch  .  .  .  un' 
sie  hat  Kawe  mit  Schmetten  getrunken  — 

—  Zu  der  Sach'  —  schreit  der  Prases. 

—  Sie  hat  ihm  far  das  kein  Nagel  nischt  gekargt  un' 
sein  blo-un'-blo  Leib  flegt  arauskucken  vun  alle  Locher 
vun  seine  verschimmelt-zurissene  Kleider.  .  .  .  Winter, 
in  die  grosste  Frost',  hat  er  ihr  biirwess  auf'n  Hof 
Holz  gehackt,  un'  die  Hand'  senen  zu  jung  un'  schwach 
gewesen,  die  Klotzlech  zu  dick,  die  Hack  zu  stumpig 
.  .  .  nischt  ein  Mai  hat  er  sich  die  Hiind'  vun  die 
Stawes  ausgelenkt,  nischt  ein  Mai  hat  er  sich  die  Fiiss' 
abgefroren,  nor  geschwiegen  hat  er  afile  sich  var'n 
Vater  — 

—  Var'n  Schiker !  lacht  arein  der  Kategor,  un' 
Bonzje  werd  kalt  in  alle  Eewrim  — 


CHRESTOMATHY  343 

"  Please,  without  rhetoric  !  " 

"  Job  did  not  endure,  but  he  has  been  more  unfor- 
tunate —  " 

"  Facts  !  Dry  facts  !  "  the  President  calls  out  more 
impatiently. 

"  On  the  eighth  day  he  was  circumcised  —  " 

"  Pray,  without  realism  !  " 

"The  surgeon  was  a  quack,  and  he  did  not  stanch 
the  blood." 

"  Go  on  !  " 

"  He  was  always  silent,"  the  Advocate  proceeds, 
"even  when  his  mother  died,  and  he  got  upon  his 
thirteenth  year  a  stepmother  ...  a  stepmother  —  a 
snake,  a  witch." 

"  Maybe  he  really  means  me  ?  "  Bontsie  thinks  to  him- 
self. 

"  Leave  out  insinuations  against  third  persons !  "  says 
the  President,  angrily. 

"  She  begrudged  him  every  morsel.  .  .  .  Musty  bread, 
three  days  old  .  .  .  tendons  for  meat  .  .  .  and  she  drank 
coffee  with  cream.  ..." 

"  Let's  come  to  business  !  "  cries  the  President. 

"  And  she  did  not  spare  him  her  finger  nails,  and  his 
blue-and-black  body  peeped  through  all  the  holes  of 
his  musty  clothes.  ...  In  winter,  in  the  severest 
frosts,  he  chopped  wood  for  her  in  his  bare  feet,  and 
his  hands  were  too  young  and  too  weak,  the  blocks  too 
large,  the  axe  too  dull.  .  .  .  jNIore  than  once  he  had 
sprained  his  wrists,  more  than  once  he  had  frozen  his 
feet,  but  he  was  silent,  and  even  to  his  father  —  " 


"  The  drunkard  !  "  the  Prosecuting  Attorney  laughs 
out  loud,  and  a  shiver  passes  over  Bontsie's  body. 


344  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

—  Nischt  geklagt,  —  endigt  der  Meeliz-j5scher  dem 
Satz. 

—  Un'  standig  elend,  fiihrt  er  weiter,  kein  Chawer, 
kein  Talmud-t5re,  kein  Cheeder,  kein  Schkole  .  .  . 
kein  ganz  Beged  .  .  .  kein  f  reie  Minut  — 

—  Fakten  !  ruf t  weiter  der  Prases. 

—  Er  hat  gescliwiegen  afile  spiiter,  wenn  der  Vater 
hat'n  scliikerheit  a  Mai  angechappt  bei  die  Haar  un' 
in  Mitten  a  schneewindiger  Winternaclit  arausgeworfen 
vun  Stub' !  Er  hat  sich  still  aufgehoben  vun  Schnee  un' 
is'  entloffen,  wu  die  Augen  haben  ihm  getragen.  .  .  . 

Auf'n  ganzen  Weg  hat  er  geschwiegen  .  .  .  beim 
grossten  Hunger  hat  er  nor  mit  die  Augen  gebettelt. 

Erscht  in  a  schwindeldige,  nasse  Wjosne-nacht  is' 
er  in  a  gr5sse  Stadt  areingekummen  ;  er  is'  arein  wie 
a  Troppen  in  a  Jam  un'  doch  hat  er  die  eigene  Nacht 
in  Kose  genachtigt.  ...  Er  hat  geschwiegen,  nischt 
gefrixgt  far  was,  far  wenn?  Er  is'  araus  un'  die 
schwerste  Arbeit  gesucht !     Nor  er  hat  geschwiegen  ! 

Noch  schwerer  far  der  Arbeit  is'  gewesen  sie  zu 
gefin'en,  —  er  hat  geschwiegen  ! 

Badendig  sich  in  kalten  Schweiss,  zusammengedriickt 
unter  der  schwerster  Last,  beim  grossten  Krampf  vun'm 
ledigen  Magen,  hat  er  geschwiegen  ! 

Bespritzt  vun  fremder  Blote,  bespiegen  vun  fremde 
Maiiler,  gejagt  vun  Trotuaren  mit  der  schwerster  Last 
arab  in  Gassen  zwischen  Droschkes,  Kareten  un'  Tram- 
wajs,  kuckendig  jede  Minut  dem  Todt  in  die  Augen 
arein,  —  hat  er  geschwiegen  ! 

Er  hat  kein  Mfd  nischt  iibergerechent,  wieviel  vun 
jNLasse  es  kummt  aus  auf  a  Groschen,  wieviel  Mfd  er  is' 
gefallen  bei  jeden  Gang  far  a  Dreier,  wieviel  Mai  er  hat 
schier  nischt  die  Neschome  ausgespiegen,  mfdinendig 
sein  Verdienst,  er  hat  nischt  gerechent,  nischt  sein, 
nisclit  Jenem's  Masel,  nor  geschwiegen ! 


CHRESTOMATHY  345 

"  He  did  not  complain  !  "  the  Advocate  concludes 
his  sentence. 

"And  eternally  alone,  he  proceeds,  —  no  friend,  no 
religious  instruction,  no  school  .  .  .  not  a  whole  garb 
.  .  .  not  a  free  minute !  " 

"  Stick  to  facts  !  "  calls  out  the  President. 

"  He  was  silent  even  later,  when  his  father,  in  a 
drunken  fit,  once  grabbed  him  by  his  hair  and  kicked 
him  out  of  the  house  into  a  stormy  winter  night.  He 
quietly  picked  himself  up  and  ran  whither  his  eyes 
carried  him. 

"  He  was  silent  on  his  whole  journey  ...  in  the 
greatest  frost  he  begged  only  with  his  eyes. 

"  In  a  nasty,  wet  spring  night  he  arrived  in  a  large 
city ;  he  fell  in  like  a  drop  in  the  Ocean,  and  yet  he 
passed  that  very  night  in  the  police  jail.  .  .  .  He  was 
silent,  did  not  ask  why.  He  came  out  of  it,  and  looked 
for  the  hardest  work  !     And  he  was  all  the  time  silent. 

"  Much  harder  than  the  work  was  the  finding  of  the 
same,  —  and  he  was  silent. 

"  Bathing  in  cold  sweat,  bent  under  the  heaviest 
burdens,  during  the  severest  cramps  of  his  empty 
stomach,  —  he  was  silent ! 

"  Besmutted  by  strangers'  mud,  bespit  by  strangers' 
mouths,  driven  with  his  heavy  load  from  the  sidewalks 
into  the  streets  among  buggies,  coaches,  and  street  cars, 
looking  every  moment  into  the  eyes  of  death,  —  he  was 
silent ! 

"  He  never  calculated  how  many  pounds  of  load  came 
to  every  penny,  how  many  times  he  stumbled  on  every 
three  kopeks'  errand,  how  many  times  he  almost  exhaled 
his  soul  collecting  his  pay ;  he  did  not  beseech  or  curse, 
—  he  only  was  silent ! 


346  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

Sein  eigen  Verdienst  hat  er  nischt  lioch  gemahnt. 
Wie  a  Bettler  hat  er  sich  bei  der  Thiir  gestellt,  uii'  in 
die  Augen  hat  sich  a  hiintische  Bakosche  gemalt ! 
"  Kumm'  spater  !  "  uii'  er  is'  wie  a  Schatten  still  ver- 
schwunden  gewor'en,  kedee  spater  noch  stiller  aus- 
zubettlen  sein  Verdienst ! 

Er  hat  afile  geschwiegen,  wenn  man  flegt  ihm  abreissen 
vun  sein  Verdienst,  oder  ihm  areinzuwarfen  a  falsche 
Matbeje  .  .  .  er  hat  alls  geschwiegen.  .  .  . 

—  Meint  man  doch  take  mich  !  troest't  sich  Bonzje. 


—  Ein  Mai,  fiihrt  weiter  der  Meeliz-joscher  noch  a 
Trunk  Wasser,  is'  in  sein  Leben  a  Schinui  gewor'en 
.  .  .  es  is'  durchgeflogen  a  Kotsch  mit  gummene  Rader 
mit  zuploschete  Ferd'  .  .  .  der  Schmeisser  is'  schon 
lang  vun  weitens  gelegen  mit  a  zuspaltenem  Kopp  auf'n 
Bruk  .  .  .  vun  die  derschrockene  Ferd's  Maiiler  spritzt 
der  Schaum,  vun  unter  die  Podkowes  jagen  sich  Funken, 
wie  vun  Lokomotiw,  die  Augen  blischtschen  wie  bren- 
nendige  Sturkatzen  in  a  finsterer  Nacht,  —  un'  in  Kotsch 
sitzt  nischt  tot,  nischt  lebedig,  a  Mensch. 

Bonzje  hat  die  Ferd'  verhalten  ! 

Der  Gerateweter  is'  gewesen  a  Jiid,  a  Balzdoke,  un' 
hat  Bonzjen  die  Towe  nischt  vergessen. 

Er  hat  ihm  dem  Gehargenten's  Kelnje  iibergege- 
ben ;  Bonzje  is'  a  Schmeisser  gewor'en  !  Noch  mehr, 
—  er  hat  ihm  Chassene  gemacht,  noch  mehr,  —  er  hat 
ihm  afile  mit  a  Kind  versorgt, — un'  Bonzje  hat  alls 
geschwiegen  ! 

—  Mich  meint  miin,  mich  !  befestigt  sich  Bonzje  in 
der  Deje,  un'  hat  sich  die  Hose  nischt,  an  Aug'  zu 
warfen  auf'n  Bess-din-schel-majle.   .   .   . 

Er  hort  sich  weiter  ein  zum  Malech-meeliz  : 


CHRESTOMATHY  347 

"  He  did  not  ask  loud  for  his  pay.  Like  a  mendicant 
he  stood  at  the  door  with  a  doglike  prayer  in  his  eyes. 
'  Come  later  I  '  and  he  disappeared  quietly  like  a  shadow, 
in  order  to  ask  later  still  more  quietly  for  his  dues ! 


"He  was  silent  even  when  they  knocked  off  some- 
thing from  his  pay,  or  paid  him  in  a  counterfeit  coin 
...  he  was  silent.  ..." 

"  It  seems  they  really  mean  me  !  "  Bontsie  consoles 
himself. 

"  Once,"  proceeds  the  Advocate,  after  taking  a  drink 
of  water,  "  there  came  a  change  in  his  life  ...  a  coach 
with  rubber  wheels  and  frightened  horses  rushed  by 
.  .  .  the  driver  lay  way  back  on  the  pavement  with 
his  head  split  open  .  .  .  foam  spurted  from  the  mouths 
of  the  frightened  horses,  and  sparks  flew  from  under 
their  feet,  as  from  a  locomotive ;  their  eyes  sparkled 
like  glowing  coals  in  a  dark  night,  — and  in  the  coach 
there  was  sitting,  more  dead  than  alive,  a  man  ! 

"  Bontsie  stopped  the  runaway. 

"  The  person  thus  saved  was  a  Jew,  a  charitable  man, 
and  he  did  not  forget  Bontsie's  kindness. 

"  He  transferred  to  him  the  seat  of  the  killed  man  ; 
Bontsie  became  a  driver  I  More  than  that,  —  he  got 
him  married  ;  still  more,  he  provided  him  with  a  child 
.   .   .  and  Bontsie  kept  silent  all  the  time  !  " 

"  They  mean  me,  they  mean  me  !  "  Bontsie  strength- 
ens himself  in  his  belief,  and  he  has  no  courage  to  raise 
his  eyes  on  the  Supreme  Judge. 

He  listens  again  to  the  Advocate. 


348  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

—  Er  hat  geschwiegen  afile,  wenn  seiu  Baltowe  hat 
in  Kurzen  bankrottirt  un'  ihm  sein  S-chires  iiuch.  .  .  . 
Er  hat  geschwiegen  afile,  wenn  das  Weib  is'  ihm  entlof- 
fen  un'  iibergelast  ihm  a  Kind  vun  der  Brust.  .  .  . 

Er  hat  geschwiegen  afile  mit  fufzehn  Jahr  spater, 
wenn  das  Kind  is'  aufgewachsen  un'  genug  stark  gewe- 
sen,  —  Bonzjen  arauszuwarfen  vun  Stub'.   .  .   . 

—  Mich  meint  man,  mich  !  freut  sich  Bonzje. 

—  Er  hat  afile  geschwiegen,  hebt  an  weicher  un' 
traueriger  der  Malech-meeliz,  wenn  der  eigener  Bal- 
towe hat  sich  mit  Alle  ausgegleicht,  nor  ihm  kein 
Groschen  S-chires  nischt  zuriickgegeben,  —  un'  afile 
demelt,  wenn  er  is'  Bonzjen  (weiter  fahrendig  auf  a 
Kotsch  mit  gummene  Rader  un'  Ferd'  wie  Loeben) 
iibergefahren.  .   .   . 

—  Er  hat  alls  geschwiegen  !  Er  hat  afile  der  Polizei 
nischt  gesagt,  wer  es  hat  ihm  zurecht  gemacht.  .  .  . 

***** 

—  Er  hat  geschwiegen  afile  in  Spital,  wu  miin  miig 
schon  schreien  ! 

Er  hat  geschwiegen  afile,  wenn  der  Doktor  hat  ohn' 
fufzehn  Kop.  nischt  gewollt  zu'n  ihm  zugelm,  un'  der 
Wachter  ohn'  fiinf  Kop.  —  tauschen  die  Wiisch'  ! 

Er  hat  geschwiegen  beim  Gossen,  er  hat  geschwiegen 
in  der  letzter  Rege,  beim  Starben.  .   .  . 

Kein  Wort  gegen  Gott,  kein  Wort  gegen  Lent'  ! 
Dixi ! 

Bonzje  hebt  an  weiter  zu  zittern  auf'n  ganzen  Leib. 
Er  weisst,  as  nach'n  Meeliz-joscher  geht  der  Kategor. 
Wer  weisst,  was  der  wet  sagen?  Er  allein  hat  seiu 
ganz  Leben  nischt  gedenkt,  noch  auf  jener  Welt  hat  er 
jede  Minut  die  friiherdige  vergessen  .   .  .  der  Meeliz- 


CHRESTOMATHY  349 

"He  was  silent  even  when  his  benefactor  became 
bankrupt  and  did  not  pay  him  his  wages.  .  .  .  He 
was  silent  even  when  his  wife  ran  away  and  left  him 
with  a  nursing  babe.   .   .   . 

"  He  was  silent  even  fifteen  years  later  when  the 
child  grew  up,  and  was  strong  enough  to  throw  Bontsie 
out  of  doors.   ..." 

"  They  mean  me,  they  mean  me  !  "  Bontsie  says  joy- 
fully. 

"  He  was  silent,"  the  Advocate  begins  again  with  a 
softer  and  sadder  voice,  "  when  his  benefactor  resumed 
business,  but  did  not  pay  him  a  cent,  and  even  then, 
when  he  ran  over  him,  again  riding  in  a  carriage  with 
rubber  tires,  and  horses  like  lions. 


"  He  was  all  that  time  silent !  He  did  not  even  tell 
the  police  who  had  maimed  him  so. 

"  He  was  silent  even  in  the  hospital,  where  one  may 
cry! 

"  He  was  silent  even  when  the  doctor  would  not  come 
to  him  unless  he  was  paid  fifteen  kopeks,  and  the  janitor 
would  not  change  his  shirt  without  five  kopeks  ! 

"  He  was  silent  during  the  last  moments  of  his  life, 
he  was  silent  in  his  death  agony.  .   .  . 

"  Not  a  word  against  God,  not  a  word  against  man  ! 
Dixi ! " 

Bontsie  begins  again  to  tremble  in  his  whole  body. 
He  knows  that  after  the  Advocate  comes  the  Prosecut- 
ing Attorney.  Who  knows  what  he  will  say?  He 
himself  had  never,  during  his  whole  life,  preserved  the 
memory  of  anything  ...  in  the  other  world,  he  forgot 


850  YIDDISH   LITERATURE 

joscher  hat  ihm  All's  dermalmt  .   .   .  wer  weisst,  was 
der  Kategor  wet  ihm  dermahneu  I 

—  Rab5ssai  !  hebt  an  a  scharf-stichedig,  briihendig 
Kol  — 

Nor  er  hackt  ab  — 

—  Rabossai !  hebt  er  noch  a  Mai  an,  nor  weicher  un' 
hackt  welter  ab. 

Endlich  hort  sich,  vun  dem  eigenem  Hals  araus,  a 
weich  Kol,  wie  a  Putter  : 

—  Rabdssai !  Er  hat  geschwiegen  !  Ich  will  auch 
schweigen  ! 

Es  werd  still,  un'  vun  vorent  hort  sich  a  neue  weiche, 
zitterdige  Stimme : 

—  Bonzje,  mein  Kind  Bonzje  !  ruft  es  wie  a  Harfe.  .  .  . 
Mein  harzig  Kind  Bonzje  !  In  Bonzjen  zuweint  sich 
das  Harz  .  .  .  er  woUt'  schon  die  Augen  geoffent, 
nor  see  senen  verfinstert  vun  Triihren.  ...  Es  is' 
ihm  aso  siiss-weinendig  kein  ]Mal  nischt  gewesen.  .  .  , 
"Mein  Kind,"  "Mein  Bonzje,"  —  seit  die  Mutter  is' 
gestorben,  hat  er  asa  Kol  un'  as5ne  Worter  nischt 
gehort  — 

—  Mein  Kind  !  fiihrt  weiter  der  Ow-bess-din,  —  du 
hast  alls  gelitten  un'  geschwiegen  !  Es  is'  nischt  da 
kein  ganz  Eewer,  kein  ganz  Beindel  in  dein  Leib  ohn' 
a  Rane,  ohn'  a  blutig  Ort,  es  is'  nischt  da  kein  ein  be- 
halten  Ort  in  dein  Neschome,  wu  es  soil  nischt  bluten 
.  .   .  un'  du  hiist  alls  geschwiegen.   .   .   . 

Dort  hat  man  sich  nischt  verstan'en  derauf !  Du 
allein  hast  gar  efscher  nischt  gewusst,  as  du  kiinnst 
schreien  un'  vun  dein  Geschrei  konnen  Jereecho's 
Mauern  zittern  un'  einfallen !  Du  allein  hast  vun 
dein  verschlafenem  Koach  nischt  gewusst.   .   .   . 

Auf  jener  Welt  hat  miin  dein  Schweigen  nischt  be- 


CHRESTOMATIIY  351 

every  moment  the  previous  .  .  .  the  Advocate  brought 
back  so  many  recollections  .  .  .  who  knows  what  the 
Prosecuting  Attorney  will  remind  him  of? 

"  Judges  I  "  he  begins  with  a  sharp,  stinging  voice  — 

But  he  stops  short. 

"  Judges  ! "  he  begins  once  more,  but  more  softly,  and 
he  interrupts  himself  again. 

At  last  there  issues  from  the  same  throat  a  voice  as 
soft  as  butter  : 

"  Judges !  He  has  been  silent !  I  shall  be  silent 
too  ! " 

All  is  still,  and  in  front  a  new  soft,  trembling  voice 
is  heard : 

"Bontsie,  my  child  Bontsie!  "  Bontsie's  heart  is  dis- 
solved in  tears  ...  he  would  have  opened  his  eyes, 
but  they  are  covered  with  tears  ...  he  has  never 
wept  such  sweet  tears  before.  ...  "  My  child,"  "  My 
Bontsie  I  "  —  ever  since  his  mother  had  died,  he  had  not 
heard  such  a  voice  and  such  words. 


"  My  child!  "  the  Highest  Judge  proceeds,  "you  have 
suffered  all,  and  you  were  silent  I  There  is  not  a  mem- 
ber, not  a  bone  in  your  body  without  wounds,  without 
a  spot  of  blood.  There  is  not  a  hidden  place  in  your 
soul  where  it  does  not  bleed,  and  yet  you  were  always 
silent.  .   .   . 

"  There  they  did  not  understand  such  things  !  It 
may  be  you  yourself  did  not  know  that  you  can  cry 
and  that  from  your  cries  the  walls  of  Jericho  could 
tremble  and  fall !  You  yourself  did  not  know  of  your 
hidden  power.  .  .  . 

"They  did   not   reward   your  silence  in  the    other 


352  YIDDISH  LITERATURE 

15hnt,  nor  dort  is'  der  Olem-hascheker,  da  auf'n  Olem- 
emes  west  du  dein  L5b  bekummen  ! 

Dich  wet  das  Bess-din-schel-majle  nischt  misclipe- 
ten,  dir  wet  es  nischt  paskenen,  dir  wet  es  kein  Cheelek 
nischt  aus-  un'  nischt  ab-theilen  !  Nemm  dir,  was  du 
willst !     Alles  is'  dein  ! 

Bonzje  hebt  das  erste  Mai  die  Augen  auf !  Er  werd 
wie  verblend't  vun  der  Licht  vun  alle  Seiten;  Alles 
blankt,  Alles  blischtschet,  vun  Alles  jagen  Strahlen : 
vun  die  Wand',  vun  die  Keelim,  vun  die  Malochim,  vun 
die  Dajonim  !     Ssame  Sunnen  ! 

Er  last  die  miide  Augen  arab. 

—  Take  ?  fragt  er  messupek  un'  verschamt. 

—  Sicher  !  entfert  fest  der  Ow-bess-din  !  Sicher,  sag' 
ich  dir,  as  Alles  is'  dein,  Alles  in  Himmel  gehor'  zu 
dir  !  Klaub'  un'  nemm,  was  du  willst,  du  nemmst  nor 
bei  dir  allein  ! 

—  Take?  fragt  Bonzje  noch  a  Mai,  nor  schon  mit  a 
sicheren  Kol. 

—  Take  !  Take  !  Take  !  entfert  man  ihm  auf  sicher 
vun  alle  Seiten. 

—  Nu,  5b  as5,  schmeichelt  Bonzje,  will  ich  take  alle 
Tag'  in  der  Friih'  a  heisse  Bulke  mit  frischer  Putter  ! 

Dajonim  un'  Malochim  haben  arabgelast  die  Kopp' 
verschamt.     Der  Kategor  hat  sich  zulacht. 

J.  L.  Perez. 


CllKESTOMATHY  363 

world,  but  that  was  the  World  of  Delusion ;  here,  in 
the  World  of  Truth,  you  will  receive  your  reward  I 

"  The  Supreme  Court  shall  not  pass  sentence  against 
you !  It  will  not  weigh  and  dole  out  your  part  to  you. 
Take  what  you  wish,  —  all  is  yours  !  " 

Bontsie  lifts  his  eyes  for  the  first  time  !  He  is  dazed 
by  the  light  on  all  sides :  everything  sparkles,  every- 
thing flashes,  beams  issue  everywhere :  from  the  walls, 
from  the  vessels,  from  the  angels,  from  the  judges  I 
Nothing  but  suns  around  him  ! 

He  wearily  droops  his  eyes. 

"  Really  ?  "  he  asks  doubtfully  and  abashed. 

"  Indeed !  "  answers  the  Highest  Judge.  "  Indeed,  I 
tell  you  —  all  is  yours  !  All  in  Heaven  belongs  to  you  ! 
Choose  and  take  what  you  wish  I    You  take  your  own." 

"Really?"  asks  Bontsie  once  more,  but  in  a  firmer 
voice. 

"  Really,  really,  really !  "  they  answer  him  on  all 
sides. 

"  Well,  if  so,"  Bontsie  smiles,  "  I  should  like  to  have 
every  morning  a  hot  roll  with  fresh  butter !  " 

Judges  and  angels  drooped  their  heads  abashed.  The 
Prosecuting  Attorney  laughed  out  loud. 

-   THK 

[NIVERSITY 
*£i^CALIFO^ 


I.     APPENDIX 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 


(This  Bibliography  is  a  partial  list  of  the  works  consulted  in  the 
preparation  of  the  present  book.  Those  marked  with  an  asterisk  are 
not  in  the  Harvard  Library  ;  the  others  were  formerly  in  my  private 
possession,  together  with  a  large  number  (1800  titles  in  all)  not  given 
here.  They  now  form  in  the  Harvard  Library  the  nucleus  of  a  Judeo- 
German  collection,  the  largest  in  America.  For  an  additional  list  of 
newspapers,  see  Ch.  D.  Lippe,  BibUographisches  Lexicon  der  ge- 
sammten  j'udischen  Literatur  der  Gegenwart,  Vienna,  1881,  pp.  666, 
667.) 

355 


I.     APPENDIX 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 
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Tag'.     Warsaw,  1894.     Svo,  32  col. 

Lamteren,  Der.  Spektor's  Verlag.  A  Bliittel  auf  wochendige 
Tiig'.     Warsaw,  1804.     Svo,  32  col. 

Volkskalender,  Der  amerikanischer.  The  American  People's 
Calendar.  A  Yearly  Literary  Review.  By  Alexander  Hark- 
avy.     New  York,  1894-.     Svo. 

Neue  "Welt,  Die.  The  New  World.  Ein  wochentlicher  Zurnal 
vun  S.  J.  Silberstein.  Published  weekly  in  Jewish-German 
language.  New  York,  1894.  (Only  two  numbers  were  issued.) 
Svo. 


360  APPENDIX 

Puck,  Der  judischer.  The  Hebrew  'Puck.'  Weekly,  editor 
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Preie  Gesellschaft,  Die.  A  monatlicher  Zurnal  fiir  die  fortge- 
schrittene  Ideen,  arausgegeben  vun  die  '  Frcie  Gesellschaft 
Publ.  Association.'  Editors,  jNI.  Leontiev  and  M.  Katz.  New 
York,  Vol.  I.  Xo.  1,  October,  1895.     4to,  32  pp. 

Ernes,  Der.  The  Emeth  (Truth).  A  wochentliches  Familien- 
blatt  fiir  Literatur  un'  Aufklarung.  Editor,  M.  Winchevsky. 
Boston,  1895.     Fol. 

Volkskalender,  Judischer.  Redigh't  vun  Gerschom  Bader. 
Lemberg,  1895.      8vo. 

Wahrheit,  Die.  Monatschrift  zur  Unterhaltung  und  Belehrung, 
von  Hirsch  Loeb  Gottlieb.  M.-Sziget.  1896  (2  numbers  only). 
8vo. 

Hatikwoh,  Die  Hoffnung.  Journal  Hebdomadaire  pour  les 
Israelites.  Ersclieint  jeden  Freitag.  Organ  fiir  Politik,  Lite- 
ratur, Wissenschaft  und  hauptsachlich  jiidisch-nationale  Inter- 
essen.   Redaktor  un' Herausgeber  J.  Bernas.   Paris,  1 897-    Fol. 

Neuer  Geist,  Der.  The  New  Spirit.  Monatschrift  fiir  Wissen- 
schaft, Literatur  un'  Kunst.  Erscheint  jeden  Monat.  Pub- 
lisher, Sigmund  Kantrowitz.     New  York,  1897-1898.     4to. 

Neue  Welt,  Die.  The  New  World.  Erscheint  monatlich. 
Arausgegeben  vun  A.  M.  Sharkansky.    New  York,  1897.     8vo. 

Arbeiter,  Der  jiidischer.  Organ  fiir  die  Interessen  der  jtidischen 
Arbeiter  in  Russland,  herausgegeben  vun  der  "  Gruppe  jii- 
discher Sozial-demokraten  in  Russland,"  1897.     4to. 

Zeit,  Die.  The  Time.  Monatlicher  Zurnal  far  Literatur,  Unter- 
haltung un'  jiidische  Interessen,  Redaktirt  un'  arausgegeben 
vun  M.  M.  Dolitzky.     New  York,  1898.     4to. 

Neue  Zeit,  Die.  The  New  Time.  Wissenschaftliche  Monat- 
schrift. Arausgegeben  vun  die  jiidisch-sprechende  Sekzion 
vun  der  sozialist.  Arbeiterpartei  vun  Nord-Amerika.  New 
York,  1898-.     4to. 


SONG-BOOKS 


Lieder-magasin.  Magazine  of  Songs.  Published  by  J.  Katzen- 
ellenbogen.  New  York,  1898.  Folio.  Pt.  I.  10  pp.;  Pt.  IL 
10  pp. ;  Pt.  III.  10  pp. ;  Pt.  IV.  11  pp. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  361 

Neuer  Singer,  Der.  In  3  Theilen.  1.  Theil.  Die  neueste 
Theaterlieder  vun  die  beste  Verfasser.  II.  Theil.  Sehr 
schoene  Witzen  mit  Pictures  zum  Lachen.  III.  Theil.  Der 
Album.  Verschiedene  Bilder  vun  judische  Verfasser.  New 
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Liederalbum,  Der.  A  Sammlung  vun  alle  judische  Theater- 
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Ordnung  vun  Rosenbaum  un'  Werbelowski.  The  Song- 
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Kupleten  un'  judische  Theaterlieder  Alle  Kupleten,  komisclie 
un'  humoristische,  fur  der  jiidischer  Biihne  verfasst  vun  Sig- 
mund  Mogulesco,  un'  alle  Theaterlieder  vun  Kaprisne  Tochter 
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Jiidische  Theaterlieder.  25.  Auflage.  In  4  Theilen,  etc.  Die 
alle  Lieder  vun  dem  Buch  seinen  verfasst  vun  die  beste  Ver- 
fassers  un'  Dichters  so  wie  A.  Goldfaden,  A.  Zunser,  Ben  Nez, 
A.  Harkavy,  Professor  Selikowitsch,  Edelstadt,  D.  Apotheker, 
M.  Rosenfeld,  u.  s.  w.  New  York,  1894.  16mo,  74  pp.  and 
adv. 

Jiidische  Theater  un'  Volkslieder.  Ausgewahlte  Lieder  vun 
die  beste  jiidische  Dichter.  Erster  Theil.  Das  Fiedele. 
New  York,  s.  a.     16mo,  56  and  (5)  pp.  and  adv. 


AUTHORS 


A.  R.  S.  Reb  Tanchum  der  Mekabel.  Einige  neue  jiidische 
Volkslieder  aus  dem  Panorama  des  russisch-polnischen  jii- 
dischen  Lebens.     Jassy,  1883.     16mo,  16  pp. 

Abasch.  Jekele  Kundas.  Sehr  a  schoene  Maisse,  was  hat  sich 
nit  lang  verloffen  in  a  klein  St'adtel  in  Polen.  Geschrieben 
vun  dem  Korewer  Bocher.     Warsaw,  1879.     8vo,  95  pp. 

Abramowitsch,  Ch.  E.  Die  Jiiden.  Ein  Lustspiel  in  drei  un' 
zwanzig  Vorstellungen  von  dem  weltberiihmten  Verfasser  in 
der  deutschescher  Sprache,  A.  W.  Lessing.  Wilna,  1879.  16mo, 
68  pp. 


362  APPENDIX 

Abramowitscli,  S.  J.  *Das  kleine  jNIenschele,  oder  A  Lebensbe- 
schreibung  van  Jizchok  Awrohom  Takif.  Gedruckt  be-Hisch- 
tadliis  Mendele  Mocher  Sforim.  .  .  .  Begun  in  Kol-mewasser, 
Vol.  II.  No.  45.  (Odessa,  1864.) 
The  same.  (Gar  in  ganzen  auf  das  Neu  ubergemacht.)  Wilna, 
1879.     8vo,  132  pp. 

*  Das  Wiinschfingerl,  was  mit  dem  kjinn  itlicher  Mensch  dergrei- 

clien  allsding,  was  sein  Harz  wunscht  un'  begehrt,  un'  durch- 
dem  nutzlich  sein  sich  un'  der  Welt.     Warsaw,  1865.     (?) 
The  same,  greatly  increased,  but  unfinished,  in   Die   jiidische 
Volksbibliothek,  Vols.  I.  and  II. 

*  Die  Takse,  oder  Die  Bande  Stadt-bal-towes.     Zhitomir,  1869. 

8vo. 
The  same.     Wilna,  1872.     8vo,  88  pp. 
*Fischke  der  Krummer,  a  Maisse  vun  jiidische  areme  Leut'. 

Zhitomir,  1869. 
The  same.     (In  AUe  Ksowim  vun  Mendele  Mocher  Sforim,  Vol. 

I.)     Odessa,  1888.     (Second  edition,  written  entirely  anew.) 

8vo,  158  pp. 
*Der  Luftballon.     (Written  in  conjunction  with  L.  Bienstock.) 

Zhitomir,  1869. 
Der   Fisch,  was  hat  eingeschlungen  Jone   Hanowi.     Vun   die 

Mechabrim  vun'm   Luftballon   A.    B.     (Herausgegeben   vun 

der  Redakzje  vun'm  Kol-mewasser.)      (In   conjunction  with 

L.  Bienstock.)     Odessa,  1870.     16mo,  21  pp. 
Die   Klatsche,  oder    Zar-bale-chaim.      A   Maisse,  was   hat   sich 

varwalgert  zwischen  die  Ksowim  vun  Jisrolik  dem  !Meschu- 

genem.     Wilna,  1873.     8vo,  119  pp. 
The  same.     (In  Alle  Ksowim  vun  M.  M.  S.,  Vol.  11.)     Odessa, 

1889.     8vo,  128  pp. 
The  same.     (In  Jewish  Classics  Issued  Quarterly,  Vol.  I.  No.  I.) 

New  York,  1898.     8vo,  121  pp. 
The  same.    Polish  translation:  Szkapa  ("Die  Klatsche")  Z  ory- 

ginafu  napisanego  w  zargonie  zydowskim  przez  S.  Abramo- 

wicza,  przefozyJ  i  objasnieniami  opatrzyf  Klemens  Junosza. 

AVarszawa.      NakJadem    ksiqgarni    A.    Gruszeckiego,    1886. 

16mo,  197  pp. 
Der  Ustaw  iiber  woinski  Powinnost,  wissotschaische  utwerdet 

dem  ersten  Januar  in  -luhr  1874.     tlhorsetzt  vun  S.  Abranio- 

witsch  un'  L.  Bienstock.     Zhitomir,  1874.     8vo,  135  pp. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  363 

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New  York,  1898.     8vo,  123  pp. 
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seine  Nessies  vergangen  het  weit  az  unter  die  Horee  Choschech 

un'  hat  sich  genug  angesehn  un'  angehbrt  Chiduschim  schoene 

Saclien,  was  see  senen  arausgegeben  gewor'en  in  alle  schiwim 

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*  The  same.     Polish  translation :    Donkiszot  zydowski,  szkic  z 

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in  zwei  Akten.     Odessa,  1870.     16mo,  72  pp. 
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79  pp. 
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Engiisch  vun  dem  beriihniten  amerikanischeu  Dichter  (Poet) 


364  APPENDIX 

Longfellow  unter'u  Namen  "Judas  Maccabaeus";  ubergesetzt 
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Golus  Schpania.     A  historischer  Roman  aus  der  jiidischen  Ge- 
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Berenstein,  S.     Magasin  vun  judische  Lieder  far  dem  jiidischen 
Volk.     Zhitomir,  1869.     16mo,  84  pp. 

The  same.     Warsaw,  1880.     8vo,  73  pp. 
Bernstein,  S.     Reb  Jochze  Dalgeje.     A  Kombdie  mit  a  Roman 

in  5  Akten.     Erster  Theil.     Kishinev,  1884.     8vo,  32  pp. 
Blaustein,  E.     Die  iinstere  Welt.     Ein  Bild  der  vergangeneu  Zei- 
ten.     Ein  Roman  in  vier  Theilen.    Wilna,  1881.     8vo,  269  pp. 

Die  Weisse  mit  die  Schwarze,  oder  Die  Liebe  vun  a  Wilden. 
Frei  ubersetzt  aus  dem  Franzoesischen,  verbreitet  un'  bearbei- 
tet.     (2  parts.)     Wilna,  1894.     8vo,  80  and  78  pp. 

Wichne  Dwosche  fahrt  zuriick  vun  Amerika.  Ein  humoristische 
Erzaehlung.     (2  parts.)     Wilna,  1894.     8vo,  40  and  50  pp. 

Wichne  Dwosche  fahrt  nach  Amerika.     Eine  humoristische  Er- 
zaehlung.    Wilna,  1895.     IGmo,  32  pp. 
Brettmann,  M.     Der  chsidischer  Unterhalt.     Ein  emesse  Maisse. 

Odessa,  1SG8.     8vo,  42  pp. 
Brjanski,  I.      Die  erste   Aweere.      Erinnerungen  vun   die  kin- 

dersche  Jahren.     St.  Petersburg,  1887.     16mo,  23  pp. 
Broda-wski,  Ch.     Die  Assife  in  der  Stadt  Ezjon  Gower.     Berdi- 

chev,  1889.     16mo,  100  pp. 
Broder,  Berel.     Schiree  Simro.     Zhitomk,  1876.     16mo,  95  pp. 

The  same.     Warsaw,  1882.     16mo,  96  pp. 
Buchbinder,  A.  I.    Der  Blumengarten.    Satirische  scharfkritische 
erenste  Maimorim ;  Anekdoten,  Schailes  u-Tschuwes,  Mischlee 
Mussor,  Schirim,  kurze  interessante  Erzaehlungen  uu'  wissen- 
schaftliche  Artiklen.     Wilna,  1885.     8vo,  76  pp. 

Der  jiidischer  Minister.  A  historischer  Roman  vun  der  letzter 
Zeit,  ehder  man  hat  die  «Tiiden  arausgetrieben  vun  Spanien. 
Frei  iibersetzt.     Odessa,  1890.     8vo,  48  pp. 

Das  jiidische  Aschires  in  Palestina.  Material  zu  der  Historic 
vun  Jischuw  Erez  Isroel.     Wilna,  1891.     8vo,  40  pp. 

Die  blutige  Inquisizie.  A  historischer  Roman,  iibersetzt.  Wilna, 
1895.     8vo,  104  pp. 


BIBLIOGRAniY  365 

Cahan,  Ab.     Wie  aso  Refoeel  Naarizoch  is'  gewor'en  a  Sozialist. 

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Chaschkes,  M.    Lieder  vom  Herzen.    Cracow,  1888.    16mo,  48  pp. 
Dick,  A.  M.     (Anonymous.)     Der  Goel.      Wilna,  1866.      16mo, 

88  pp. 
(Anonymous.)     Der  Miljonar.     Wilna,  1868.     16mo,  48  pp. 
(Anonymous.)      Die   freundliche   Brlider   Elieser  un'  Naftali. 

Wilna,  1868.     16mo,  56  pp. 
(Anonymous.)     Der  todte  Gast.     Wilna,  1869.     16mo,  64  pp. 
(Anonymous.)     Der  Litwak  in  Wolinien.     Wilna,  1870.     16mo, 

40  pp. 
(Anonymous.)     Die  Bluthochzeit  in  Paris  und  ein  Etwas  vun 

der  Reformazion  in  Teutschland.     Wilna,  1870.     16mo,  48  pp. 
(A.  M.  D.)     Feigele  der  jNIagid.      (Translation  from  A.  Bern- 
stein.)    Wilna,  1868.     16mo,  44  pp. 
(.\.  M.  D.)     Reb  Schl5mele  der  Pair  vun  der  Khile  N.,  oder  der 

Depo  (Magasin)  vun  Bakalejen  (Bsomim).    (Translation  from 

the  Russian  of  Lewanda.)     Wilna,  1870.     16mo,  144  pp. 
(A.  M.  D.)     Der  erster  Nabor,  was  war  in  dem  Jahr  ThKPCh 

(1828).     Wilna,  1871.     16mo,  36  pp. 
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the  Polish.)     Wilna,  1872.     16mo,  46  pp. 
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16mo,  44  pp. 
(A.  M.  D.)     Eine  Reise  in  Afrika.    (Translation.)    Wilna,  1873. 

16mo,  48  pp. 
(A.  M.  D.)     Die  edele  Rache,  oder  Die  Nekome,     Wilna,  1875. 

16mo,  44  pp. 
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79  pp. 
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Wilna,  1877.     16mo,  50  pp. 
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366  APPENDIX 

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57  and  76  pp. 
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1893.     16mo,  32  pp. 
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16mo,  32  pp. 
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vun  Englisch.      (-1  parts,  only  half  of  the  novel  published.) 
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No.  3.     Die  Agune.     Vun  B.  Gorin.     Erster  Theil. 
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40  pp. 
Doktor  Almosado,  oder  Die  Jiideu  in   Palermo.      Historische 

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Odessa,  1869.     16mo,  48  pp. 
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27  pp. 

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28  pp. 

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Begebenheit.     St.  Petersburg,  1887.     16mo,  2-4  pp. 
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liedor.     Wilna,  1887.      lOnio,  86  pp. 
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schiedene  Quellen  bearbeitet.     Warsaw,  1889.     Svo,  68  pp. 
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Warsaw,  1889.     Svo,  54  pp. 
Rothschild.     A  Beschreibung  .  .  .     Odessa,  1869.     Svo,  34  pp. 
Levinsohn,  L.      Die  weibersche  Kniipplach,  ein  Theaterspiel  in 

fiinf  Akten  geschrieben,  herausgegeben  vun  MIWM.     Wilna, 

1881  (from  ed.  of  1874).     16mo,  44  pp. 
Levr,  M.  A.     Hudel.     A  Poema  in  Gedichte.     Kishinev,  1888. 

Svo,  61  pp. 
Lilienblum,  M.  L.     Serubowel,  oder  Schiwas  Si5n.     A  Drama  in 

fiinf  Akten.     Odessa,  1887.     Svo,  55  pp. 
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sein  Chassene  un'  sein  Parnosse  mit  alle  Khols-sachen  un' 

Gemeinde-leben.     Odessa,  1875.     132  pp. 
Das  chsidische  Jungel.     Die  Lebensbeschreibung  vun  a  polischen 

Juden,  vun  sein  Geboren   bis  sein  Verloren.      Zu  der  Zeit 

vun'ni  Anfang  des  jetzigen  Jahrhundert,  vun  Eli  Kozin  Haz- 

chakueli.     Die  zweite,  vollkommen  iibergearbeitete  Ausgabe, 

vun  mein  (Polischen  Jiingel).     Wilna,  1897.     Svo,  230  pp. 
Der  boeser  Marschelik.     Satirische  Volkslieder.     Odessa,  1869. 

8vo,  96  pp. 


372  APPENDIX 

The  same.     (First  part.)     Warsaw,  1889.     8vo,  48  pp. 

*Das  Meschulachas.    Kartines  vun'm  judischen  Leben.    Odessa, 

1874.     94  pp. 
Der  Welt-luach  vun'm  Jahr  Ein  Kessef,  oder  Die  allgemeine 

Panorame,  vun  Eli  Kozin  Hazchakueli,  Mechaber  vun'm  Po- 

lischen  Jiingel.     Odessa,  1875.     8vo,  94  pp. 
The  same.     (Zweite  verbesserte  Ausgabe.)     Odessa,  1883.     8vo, 

86  pp. 
Linetzki's  Ksowira.    Das  erste  Heft :  Die  Pritscbepe.    Das  zweite 

Heft :    Der  Statek.      Kritische,  satirische  un'  humoristische 

Maimorim  un'  Kartines.     Odessa,  1876.     16mo,  127  pp. 
Die  blutige  Nekome,  oder  Jakow  Tirada.     In  gesauberten  jiidi- 

schen  Zargon.     Warsaw,  1883.     8vo,  100  pp. 
The  same.     Warsaw,  1893.     8vo,  100  pp. 
Nassan   ha-Chochem.      Eiue   dramatische   Unterhandhmg  iiber 

Emune  un'  Religion,  verfasst  in  Deutschen  vun  G.  E.  Lessing. 

Odessa,  1884.     8vo,  80  pp. 
Linetzki's  Ksowim.     Odessa,  1888.     Fol.     Der  Flederwiscb,  Der 

SchSfer,  Der  Schnorrer,  Der  Plappler,  Der  Wicher,  Das  Dreh- 

del,  Der  Weiser,  Der  Milgram,  Der  Grager,  Der  Afikomen, 

Das  Vogele,  each  of  8  pp. 
Chag  ha-Jowel.      Die  Jubilee-feierung  am  siebzehnten  Novem- 
ber 1890,  welche  man  hat  gefeiert  in  Odessa  dem  beriihmten 

Volksschreiber  Jizchok  Joel  Linetzki  zur  Ende  25  Jahr  vun 

seiner  literarischer  Th'atigkeit.     Odessa,  1891.     8vo,  48  pp. 
Meisach,  J.      Eesches  Chail.     Eine  historische  Erzaehlung  in  4 

Akten  un'  6  Bilder.     Warsaw,  1890.     16mo,  80  pp. 
Die  eifersiichtige  Frau,  oder  Die  erste  Kbchin.     A  Szene  vun  a 

Familienleben.     Warsaw,  1893.     16mo,  31  pp. 
Der   Spiegel  fiir  Alle.     Ein   literarisches  Buch.      Enthalt  ver- 

schiedene  musterhafte  Bilder  aus  dem   jUdischen    Leben  in 

Reimen.     Warsaw,  1893.     8vo,  32  pp. 
Nissim  we-Nifloes.    (Wunderliche  Ssipurim),  was  die  Babe  oleho 

ha-Scholem  hat  erzaehlt.     Warsaw,  1893.     16mo,  86  pp. 
Perl  vun  Jam  ha-Talmud.     Warsaw,  1893.     16mo,  32  pp. 
Ssipuree  ha-Talmud.     Warsaw,  1894.     8vo,  48  pp. 
Ssipuree  Jeruscholaim.     (Dritte  Auflage.)     Wilna,  1895.     16mo, 

72  pp. 
A   Spazier-schiffel   auf  dem  Jam  ha-Talmud.     Warsaw,   1895. 

16mo,  64  pp. 


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*  No.  39-40.     Hdcher  un'  Niedriger. 

1886,  *  No.    1-6.     Die  Weltreise. 

*  No.  19-22.     Kinderspiel. 

1887,  No.  20.  Kinderspiel.    A  merkwiirdige  Liebe  vun 

a  gepesteten,  a  gebaleweten,  a  reichen 
judischen  Benjochid.     4to,  89  pp. 


374  APPENDIX 

1887,  No.  26.  A   Chosseii   a    Doktor    (A    Stubsach). 

16mo,  18  pp. 
No.  27.  Lagbonier  (A  froehliche  Geschichte  mit 

a  traurigeu  Eude.     16nio,  12  pp. 

1888,  No.  23.  Reb  Sender  Blank  un'  sein  vuUgescbatzte 

Familie.     A   Roman    ohn'    a    Liebe. 
8vo,  104  pp. 
*  Schomer's  Mischpet. 
Das  Messerl.     (A  narrische,  nor  a  traurige  Geschichte  vun  mein 

Kiudheit.)     St.  Petersburg,  1887.     16nio,  26  pp. 
A  Biintel  Blumen  oder  Poesje  ohu'  Gramen.     Berdichev,  1888. 

16mo,  45  pp. 
Supplements  to  the  Volksbibliothek  : 

Stempenju.  A  jiidischer  Roman.  1888.  8vo,  viii  and  94  pp. 
Jossele  Ssolowee.     1889.     8vo,  (4)  and  180  pp. 
Auf    Jiscbuw    Erzisroel.      A   Ssipui*    ha-Maisse.      Kiev,   1890. 

16 mo,  44  pp. 
Kol-mewasser  zu  der  jiidischer  Volksbibliothek.     Odessa,  1892. 

4to,  40  pp.     (80  columns.) 
Jaknehos,  oder   Das  grosse  Borsenspiel.      A  Komodie   in   vier 

Akten.      Kiev,  1894.     32mo,  172  pp.,  but  p.  32  is  repeated 

13  times. 
Der  jiidischer  Kongress  in  Basel.      Vorgelesen  in  alle  Kiewer 

Botee-midroschim  nach  dem  Referat  vun  Dr.  M.  Mandelstaram, 

bearbeitet  in  Zargon.    Warsaw,  1897.    8vo,  30  pp.    (Published 

by  the  Zionistic  Society  Achiassaf.) 
Auf  was  bedarfen  Jiiden  a  Land?     Etliche  erenste  Worter  far'n 

Volk.     Warsaw,  1898.     8vo,  20  pp.  (Achiassaf). 
Moschiach's   Zeiten.     A  zionistischer  Roman.      (Verlag  Esra.) 

Berdichev,  1898.     16mo,  51  pp.  (unfinished). 
Reichersohn,  Z.  H.     Basni  Krilow,  oder  Krilows  Fabeln  (Mes- 

cholim)  in   neun   Abtheilungen,   ubersetzt  vun    Russisch   in 

Jiidisch-deutsch.      (2  parts.)     Wilna,   1879.      16ino,   156  and 

166  pp. 
Reingold,  I.     A  Biintel  Blumen.     Volksgedichte.     Chicago,  1895. 

16  mo,  32  pp. 
Der  Weltsinger.     Prachtige  Volkslieder.     Chicago,  1894.     8vo, 

40  pp. 
Rombro,  J.    Die  eiserne  Maske,  oder  der  ungliickliciier  Prinz.    Ein 

historischer  Roman  aus  dem  Leben  vun  dem  Koeniglichen  Hof 


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Lieder.     Gedichte  un'  Lieder.     New  York,  1893.     8vo,  40  jip. 
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1898.     IGnio,  115  pp. 
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Uebersetzung,  gesungen  von    Bajrach   Benedikt   Schafir   aus 

Przemysl  [1883].     16mo,  65  pp. 
Freudele  die  Mame.     liemberg,  1882.     Long  16mo,  21  pp. 
Melodien  aus  der  Gegend  am  San.     Gedichte  und  Lieder  in 

galizisch-jUdischem    Dialekte.      (2    parts.)      Cracow^,    1886. 

16mo,  75  and  85  pp. 
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Chossen.     Ein   hoclist   interessanter   Roman.     Wilna.     1880. 

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Seiffert,  M.     Bei'm  Thtir  fun  Ganeeden,  oder  A  puster  Cholem 

niit  a  grosser!  Ernes.     A  phantastisclier  Roman.     New  York, 

1898.     8vo,  64  pp. 
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Wilna,  1891.     8vo,  219  pp. 
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I'ork,  1895.     8vo,  62  pp. 


376  APPENDIX 

Sobel,  J.  Z.  Schir  Sohow  lekowed  Jisroel  ha-Soken.  Ubersetzt 
in  Jiidisch-deutsch,  Jisroel  der  Alte.  New  York,  1877.  16mo, 
36  pp. 

Sobel,  S.  Siwugim,  oder  Die  Wikuchim.  Zum  lustigen  Zeit- 
vertreiben.     Warsaw,  1874.     16mo,  86  pp. 

Spektor,  M.    *  A  Roman  ohn'  a  Namen.    Ein  Erzaehlung  vun  dem 
jiidischen  Leben.     Zweite  Auflage  init  viel  neue  Kapitlich  un' 
Verbesserungen.     St.  Petersburg,  1884.     8vo,  110  pp. 
Supplements  to  the  Volksblatt : 

1884,  *No.    1-31.     Der  judischer  Muzik. 
*No.  41-51.     Reb  Treitel. 

1885,  *No.    1-  9.     Reb  Treitel. 

No.    9-17.  A  stummer  guter  Jiid'.     8vo,  68  pp. 

*No.  18-50.  Aniim  we-Ewjonim. 

*No.  50-51.  Die  Kramer  in  Aleksandria. 

1886,  *No.    7-16.  Jiidisch. 

*No.  24-42.     A  Welt  mit  kleine  Weltelech. 
Der  stummer  Guter-Jiid'.     Ein  Erzaehlung  vun  der  letzter  rus- 

sisch-tiirkischer  Krieg.     Wilna,  1889.     Svo,  76  pp. 
Scholem  Faiwischke  die  Kramerke.     Zwei  Maisses.     Warsaw, 

1890.     16mo,  26  pp. 
The  same,  under  the  title :    Weiberscher   Erewjontew.      1892. 

16mo,  26  pp. 
Der  modner  Schuster.    Roman.    Berdichev,  1891.    16mo,  32  pp. 
The  same.     Warsaw,  1894.     16mo,  32  pp. 

A  weibersche  Neschome.   Roman.   Berdichev,  1891.  16nio,  32  pp. 
The  same.     Warsaw,  1894.     16mo,  32  pp. 
The  same,  under  the  title :  Schoen  un'  Mies,  oder  Zwei  Chawertes. 

Erzaehlung  vun  balebatischen  Leben.    Warsaw,  1895.     16mo. 

23  pp. 
The  same.    Russian  translation,  by  M.  Chaschkes.    Dve  podrngi. 

Psichologiceskij   razskaz.      (Reprint   of   Vilenskij    Vestnik.) 

Wilna,  1895.     16mo,  21  pp. 
Chaim  Jentes.     Erzaehlung.     Berdichev,  1892.     16mo,  32  pp. 
Der  heuntiger  judischer  Muzik.  Roman.   Berdichev,  1892.   16mo, 

32  pp. 
Jiidische  Studenten  un'  jiidische  Tochter.    Roman.    1892.    8vo, 

124  pp. 
Purim  un'  Peessach.    Bilder  un'  Erzaehlungen.    Berdichev,  1893. 

16mo,  36  pp. 


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1895.  Reb  Treitel.     8vo,  148  pp. 

1896.  Drei  Parschon.      Erzaehlung  vun  die  siebziger  un' 

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Hamnageen.  Vier  neue,  herrliche  Lieder  mit  Melodien.  Wilna, 
1876.     32mo,  31  pp. 

Schiree  Om.  Volkslieder.  Drei  neue  Lieder  zu  singen  mit  Melo- 
dien.    Wilna,  1876.     32mo,  32  pp. 

Hamsamer.     Neue  vier  Lieder.     Wilna,  1890.     32mo,  31  pp. 

Die  Eisenbahn  mit  noch  zwei  teuere  Lieder.  Wilna,  1890. 
32mo,  28  pp. 

Zunser's  verschiedene  Volkslieder,  welche  wer'en  gesungen  vun'm 
Volk  mit  sejere  Melodien.  Text  mit  Musik  verfasst  un'  kom- 
ponirt  vun'm  Volksdichter  Eliokum  Zunser,  herausgegeben 
durch  David  Davidoif.     Xew  York,  1891.     8vo,  80  pp. 

Zehn  jiidische  Volkslieder,  verfasst  mit  die  Ilarmonie  vun  Mu- 
sikbegleitung,     Vierte  Auflage.     Wilna,  1891.     16mo,  95  pp. 

Higojon  Bchinor.  Neue  vier  Lieder,  was  see  seinen  gesungen  ge- 
wor'en  mit  Begleitung  vun  Fiedel.    Wilna,  1897.    16mo,  60  pp. 


378  APPENDIX 

Zweifel,  E.  Z.    Tochachas  Chaim.  Strafred'.    Wilna,  1865.    32mo, 

96  pp. 
Sseefer  Musser  Haskel,  herausgegeben  vun   Esriel  Epl  Weiz. 

Wilna,  1884.     ;32mo,  52  pp. 
Der  gliicklicher  Maftir.      A  schoene  Maisse,  -was  hat  getroffen 

zuriick  mit  einige  Jahren ;  wie  a  Schneiderjiingel  is'  durch  a 

Maftir  hochst  gliicklich  gewor'en.  .  .  .     Warsaw,  1886.     8vo, 

46  pp. 


FOLKLORE 


Sseefer  Ssipuree  Maisses.    Warsaw,  1874.     8vo,  170  pp.    There 
are  several  editions  of  it. 


Maisse  Rambam  we-Reb  Jossef  dela  Reyna.  Wilna,  1879.  16mo, 
32  pp. 

Dem  Rambam's  Zawoe.  Da  ward  beschrieben  die  Lebensgeschichte 
vun  dem  grossen  heiligen  Mann  Rabeenu  Mosche  ben  jVIaimon, 
sehr  schoene  interessante  Ssipurim,  auch  die  heilige  Zawoe, 
was  er  hat  geschrieben  fiir  seine  Kinder,  etc.  Wilna,  1885. 
16ino,  32  pp. 

Maisse  vun  Maharscho,  herausgenummen  vun  Ostrer  Pinkes,  un' 
vun  Rambam,  un'  vun  Noda  bi-Jehudo.  Warsaw,  1879.  16mo, 
16  pp. 

Maisse  Gur  Arje.  Da  werd  derzaehlt  a  wunderliche  Maisse  vun 
dem  gottlichen  Mann  ha-Raw  ha-Goen  .  .  .  was  er  werd  geru- 
fen  Gur  Arje,  etc.     Warsaw,  1890.     16rao,  43  pp. 


Ssipurim.      Erzaehlungen  vun  Rabi  Jizchok  Aschkenasi   Luria. 

Versammelt  vun  Jisroel  Bemuhrim  ZL.    Vol.  I.    Wilna,  1895. 

8vo,  114  pp. 
Sseefer  Evven  Schlom.     Die  Beschreibung  vun  dem  Wilner  Goen. 

Sehr  wunderliche  Ssipurim  vun  sein  Grosskeit  in  der  Tore  un' 

in  alle  Chochmes  un'  Wissenschaften.    Audi  sehr  wunderliche 

Maisses  vun  seine  beriihmte  Taliuidim.     Wilna,  1895.     16mo, 

112  pp. 
Eine  schoene  Geschichte  vun  ha-Raw  ha-Goen  Haschach  und  seine 

Tochter,  was   hat  sicli  passiert  in  die   Gseeres  vun  Schnas 


BIBLIOGRxVPIIY  379 

ThCh.  Un'  auch  eine  schoeiie  Geschichte  vun  eineni  polischen 
Koenig,  welcher  eine  grosse  Gseere  auf  Jiiden  gegeben  hat,  uii' 
wie  IlSchI  seiiiem  Volk  geholfen  durch  einen  vun  die  LW 
Zadikim.  Die  Maisse  is'  verschrieben  in  ein  Maisse-buch  in 
Krakau.     Vienna,  18G3.     32mo,  10  pp. 


Sseefer  Ssipuree  Maisses.  (K'hal  Chsidim.)  lu  diesen  Sseefer 
werd  derzaehlt  sehr  viel  wnndeiiiche  Maisses  vun  ha-Raw  ha- 
Kodesch  Jisroel  Balschemtow,  etc.    Warsaw,  1881.     4to,  84  pp. 

Sseefer  Maisse  Zadikiin.  Hiev  is'  wunderliche  Maisses  vun  Kdo- 
schim,  vun  dem  heiligen  Besclit  un'  vun  Boruch  vun  Mesibos 
un'  vun  die  zwei  Briider  Reb  Alimelech  un'  Reb  Susse  vun 
Hanipole  un'  vun  ha-Kodesch  Reb  Pinches  vun  Korez  un'  vun 
ha-Kodesch  Reb  Mosche  Loeb  vun  Ssassuw  un'  vun  ha-Kodesch 
Reb  Jizchok  vun  Lublin.     Cracow,  1889.     16mo,  64  pp. 

Sseefer  Rosin  Kadischin.  In  dem  Sseefer  werd  gebrengt  sehr 
schoene  un'  wunderliche  Geschichtes  vun  sehr  grosse  Leut' 
Zadikim  Jessodee  Olom.     Warsaw,  1890.     8vo,  32  pp. 


Ssipurim  me-Rabeenu  Nissira.     Warsaw,  1892.     16mo,  59  pp. 

Eine  ganz  neue  Maisse  vun  dem  heiligen  Zadik  Reb  Schraelke. 
Lemberg,  1893.     16mo,  16  pp. 

Eine  ganz  neue  Maisse  vun  ha-Raw  ha-Zadik  Reb  Pinches  me- 
Korez.     Lemberg,  1893.     16nio,  16  pp. 

Eine  ganz  neue  Maisse  vun  ha-Raw  ha-Zadik  Reb  Jisroel,  der  Rusi- 
ner  Rebe.     Lemberg,  1893.     16mo,  16  pp. 

Mefanejach  Nelomim  .  .  .  Jechiel  Michel  nii-Slatschuw.  Warsaw, 
1879.     16m 0,  22  pp. 

Eine  ganz  neue  Geschichte  vun  dem  Saten,  wie  er  hat  sich  verstellt 
far  ein  jungen  IMann  un'  hat  gesagt,  as  er  is'  a  Row  un'  hat 
gewollt  iiberreden  ein  Jiid',  a  Baltschuwe,  er  soil  essen  Chomez 
um  Erew  Peessach,  etc.     Lemberg,  1892.     16mo,  16  pp. 

Die  Gan-eeden-bachurim.  Da  werd  derzaehlt  zwei  schoene  Maisses 
vun  zwei  Bochurim  Baltschuwes,  wie  aso  see  haben  soclie 
gewe'n  zu  kummen  in  lichtigen  Gan-eeden,  aso  ein  teuer  Ort, 
was  die  grosste  Zadikim  kounen  nit  ahiu  kummen.  Warsaw, 
1885.     16mo,  27  pp. 

Die  Ssuke  in  Wald.  In  diese  Geschichte  werd  derzaehlt,  wie  Gott 
helft  AUe,  was  versichern  sich  auf  ihm.     Auch  is'  da  zugegeben 


380  APPENDIX 

a  Maisse  vun  a  Row  mit  a  Ssar  uii'  eiii  Geschichte  vun  Ram- 
bam.     Wilna,  1891.     16mo,  32  pp. 

Maisse  me-G  Achim.  Eine  sehr  schoene  wunderliche  Geschichte 
vun  drei  Briider,  grosse  Leut',  hanikro  Maisse  Plies.  Warsaw, 
1870.     I61110.     Large  number  of  editions. 

Maisse  schnee  Chaweerim.  A  wunderliche  Ausschmues  mit  22 
Maisses.     Zhitomir,  1877.     16mo,  76  pp. 

Mizwas  Mlawe  Malke  u  Maisses  Plies  mischuee  Schutfim.  Sehr  a 
schoene,  wunderliche  Geschichte  vun  zwei  Schutfim,  was  haben 
sehr  ehrlich  gehalten  un'  gehiit'  die  verte  Ssude  Mizwas  Mlawe 
Malke.     Warsaw,  1881.     16mo,  28  pp. 


Reb  Esriel  mit  dem  Bar.  A  zweite  Geschichte  vun  Reb  Chaim 
Baltschuwe  un'  a  dritte  vun  Reb  Sundel  Chossid.  Wilna, 
1896.     16mo,  32  pp. 

Die  Geschichte  vun  Bovo.  Ein  schoen  Derzaehlung  vun  Bovo  mit 
Dresni.  Das  is'  gemacht  auf  dem  Art  vun  Tausend  un'  Ein 
Nacht.  Warsaw,  1878.  16mo,  72  pp. 
There  are  many  editions  of  the  same.  In  the  Harvard  Library 
are  the  following  :  Wilna,  1895,  and  Warsaw,  1889.  The  latter 
has  for  a  title  :  Der  Ben  Meelach.  Da  werd  derzaehlt  vun  a 
Chossen-kale,  viel  see  haben  gelitten,  un'  der  Ben-meelach, 
viel  Milchomes  er  hat  eingenummen,  bis  es  hat  ihm  gegliickt, 
as  er  is'  gewor'en  der  grosster  Keisser  un'  sie  Keisserin  vun 
drei  Medines. 

Eine  schoene  Geschichte  vun  Zenture  Venture.  Da  werd  derzaehlt 
vun  ein  grossen  Ssocher,  was  er  is'  gewe'n  vielmal  in  Angst 
un'  Not  auf  dem  Jam  un'  is'  gewe'n  in  die  Hand'  vun  wilde 
Menschen  un'  is'  nizel  gewor'en  vun  die  alle  Sachen  un'  is' 
gekummen  zu  sein  Haus  le-Scholem  mit  viel  Aschires.  Wilna, 
1895.     16mo,  40  pp.     There  are  many  editions  of  this  story. 


Ssipuree  Haploes,  oder  Geriihmte  Geschichte.  Das  Sseefer  is' 
gedruckt  gewor'en  bischnas  ThSH  wenikro  be-Scheem  Maisse- 
buch,  etc.  Lublin,  1882.  8vo,  68  pp.  Very  many  editions  of 
this  book. 

A  schoene  Geschichte,  wie  a  Loeb'  hat  ausgehodewet  a  kleinem 
Prinz,  was  der  Loeb'  hat  ihm  aweggechapt  vun  sein  Mutter,  der 
Koenigin,  boees  er  hat  gesogen  un'  hat  ihm  aso  lang  gehalten, 
bis  er  is'  gross  gewor'en.  Vun  A.  M.  Warsaw,  1878.  32mo, 
31  pp. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  881 

Der  lichtiger  Gan-eeden.  Ein  sclioeiie  Geschichte  vun  Reb  Schme- 
rel  Machnis  Orach,  wie  er  is'  gewe'n  in  lichtigen  Ganeeden, 
nor  er  hat  dort  keiii  ssach  nit  gewjiltigt ;  man  hat  ihm  bald 
arausgeworfen.     Warsaw,  1878.     16mo,  18  pp. 

Ein  schoene  Geschichte  vun  ein  Bas-malke,  wie  sie  hat  sich  ver- 
liebt  in  ein  Suhn  vun  ein  Gartner.  Warsaw,  1889.  16mo, 
72  pp.     There  are  many  editions  of  this  story. 

Ein  wunderliche  Maisse  vun  dem  Bocher  Jossenke.  Lemberg,  1887. 
16mo,  16  pp.  

Anekdoten-buch.      Zwei  hnndert  schoene  Witzen,  sehr  satirisch 

zum  Lachen,  vun  M.  Kukelstein.     Wilna,  1893.     16mo,  96  pp. 

Many  editions. 
Reb  Herschele  Ostrepoler.     Beschrieben  alle  seine  siisse  Chochmes 

un'  aUe  seine  Wortlech,  was  er  hat  iibergelast,  etc.     Warsaw, 

1884.     16mo,  2-i  pp.     Many  editions.     Second  part.     Wilna, 

1895.     16mo,  24  pp. 
Der  beriihmter  Herschel  Ostropoler.     Zunaufgesammelt  vun  A.  I. 

Buchbinder.     Wilna,  1895.     8vo,  32  pp. 
Das  froehliche  Herschel  Ostropoler  oder  Der  wolweler  Theater- 

stiick.     Warsaw,  1890.     8vo,  52  pp.     Many  editions. 
Motke  Chabad  oder  AVitze  Uber  Witze.      Herausgegeben  vun  M. 

I.  Lewitan.     Wilna,  1892.     16mo,  32  pp.     Many  editions. 
Schaike  Feifer,  oder  Der  weltberiihmter  Witzling.      Xew  York, 

s.  d.     8vo,  32  pp. 
Jossef  Loksch  vun  Drazne  (in  Polen)  .  .  .  un'  vun  sein  Gabe  Akiwe 

Bias.     Wilna,  1895.     16mo,  23  pp. 
Der  Chelmer  Chochem.     Das  is'  a  Gerathenisch  vim  a  Chelmer, 

was  er  hat  gemeint,  as  er  is'  a  Chochem,  un'  man  mus  lachen, 

as  man  lejent  die   kluge  Einfiille  vun  a  Chelmer  Chochem. 

Verfasst  vun  Hirs  Bik.     Lemberg,  1887.     16mo,  16  pp. 


JUDEO-GERMAN   BOOKS  WITH   GERMAN 
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Onib,  I.  D.  H.  Das  Chanuke  Trenderl,  ein  antiques  Familienstiick 
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16mo,  30  pp. 


382  APPENDIX 

Der  Schadchpii  von  Unsere  Leut'.  Eiii  rewmatisches  Zugstiick  in 
drei  Aiifzil^'en,  zusanimengeschlempert.  Vienna,  1887.  IGnio, 
56  pp. 
Der  Johimark  zu  A  .  .  .  z.  Eine  Charakterschilderung  von 
unsere  Marktleut'.  In  3  Skizzen,  aufgenommen.  Vienna, 
1871.     IGnio,  32  pp. 

Mendelssohn,  L.  Intinies  aus  der  Liliengass'.  Ein  Buchdrama 
in  I.  Akt.     Berlin,  s.  a.     16mo,  62  pp. 

Rosde,  A.  Kstlier  und  Hainan  !  Ein  Purimspiel  in  einem  Auf- 
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S(chwai-z)  A.  Aus  liingstvergangenen  Tagen.  Drei  alte  Gold- 
stiickchcii  uubst  einem  Anhang.    Budapest,  s.  a.    16mo,  31  pp. 

Schwarz,  P.  Ueb  Simmel  Andrichau.  Ein  Purimspiel  in  vier 
AufzUgen.  Vienna,  1878.  16mo,  55  pp. 
*Reb  Moire  Nachrendl.  Charaktergemalde  in  5  Aufziigen. 
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zur  Unterlialtung  und  Belehrung. 
*  Reb  Jone.  Lustspiel  zur  Unterlialtung  und  Erheiterung.  In 
fiinf  Aufziigen. 

Wolfsohn.  Keb  Chanoch  der  betrogene  Bigott,  oder  Der  entlarvte 
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43  pp. 

Anonymous.  *Der  Giitsteher.  Travestie  nach  Scliillers  Bal- 
lade, '  Die  Biirgschaft.' 

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von  Scliillers  '  Lied  von  der  Glocke.'  'ii  Chosens  Kloles.  Tra- 
vestie nach  Uhlands  '  Des  Sangers  Fluch.'  Vienna,  s.  a.  16mo, 
20  pp. 


II.     APPENDIX 


NAMES  OF  AUTHORS  AND  THEIll  PSEUDONYMS 


The  italicized  names  are  those  that  are  better  known  than  the  real  names 
of  the  authors. 


Authors 

Abramo-witsch,  S.  J. 
Baranow,  M. 
Bukanski. 
Cahan,  Ab. 
Cantor. 

Da^widowitsch. 
Feigenbaum,  B. 

Freid,  M. 
Frischmann,  D. 
Goido,  J. 
Goldberg,  I.  Ch. 
Gurevritsch. 
Katzenellenbogen. 
Kobrin,  L. 

Lerner,  J.  J, 
Levrin,  I. 
Lew^ner,  J.  B. 
Linetzki,  J.  J. 
Meisach,  J. 
Perez,  J.  L. 


Pseudonyms 

Mendele  Mocker  Sforim. 

Ben  Jlfraim. 

Ben  Pores. 

Bernstein  Dawid,  Prole tarischker  Magid. 

Mosche  Glazel,  Graf  M.  I.  Kweetl,  Welwel 

Zopzerik. 
Ben  Dawid. 
Magid    vun    Ewjenischok,     RaiiberjUdel, 

Scha  Pesches. 
Frerader,  Ssinichessossen. 
Goldberg  A. 

Hoido  J.,  Gorin,  Lebensohn  A. 
Jaknehuz. 
Lihin,  Z. 
Bnki  Ben  Jogli. 
Rafaelowitsch     Sch.,     Genosse     Cervera, 

Witeblanin,  L. 
Herdner. 
Jehalel. 

Nachmen  Ben  "Wowsi. 
Eli  Kozin  Hazcliakueli. 
Ssar-schel-Jani. 
Ben-tomar,  Gam-su,  Ha-jossem  mi-Nirai- 

row,  Finkel  L.,  Lamjienputzer,  Lez  vun 

der  Pedakzie,  Luziper,  Paloi,  Dr.  Stizer. 


383 


384 


APPENDIX 


Pinski,  D. 

Habinowitsch,  M.  J. 
Rabino'witsch,  S. 

Rabnizki. 
Rombro,  J. 
Samostschin,  P. 
Samostschin,  Mrs. 
Schaikew^itsch,  N.  M, 
Schapiro,  E.  I. 
Schatzkes,  M.  A. 
Selikovritsch. 

Spektor,  M. 
Spektor,  Mrs. 
Wechsler,  M. 
Winchevsky,  M, 


Dofek,  Dawid,  Puis  D. 

Ben-Omi. 

Biicherfresser,    Essbiicher,   Esther,   Sche- 

lumiel,  Scholem  Aleechem,  Schulamis. 
Rebi  Kozin. 

Krantz  Ph.,  Jainkele  Chochem. 
P.  Z.,  Eli  Feelet  mi-Sastschiu. 
Bas-malke. 
Schomer. 
Isch. 

Selikowitsch  M. 
Litwischer    Philosoph,    Aus     Kapelusch- 

macher,  Sambation,  Wachlaklakes. 
Ernes,  Lamedwownik. 
Isabella. 
Isch  Nomi. 
Ben  Nez,  Meschugener  Philosoph,  Chaim 

Barburim,  Chaim  Bolbetun,  Der  Dasi- 

ger,  T.  E.  Debkin,  Jankele  Traschke. 


INDEX 


Abderitic  towns,  52. 

Abendhlatt,  2'IS,  225. 

Abrahams,  90,  231. 

Abramowitsch,  Solomon  Jacob, 
translated  into  Polish,  10;  his  use 
of  the  older  language,  20 ;  his 
vocabulary,  22;  cradle  song,  86; 
translates  Sabbath  prayers  and 
hymns,  97;  allegory  in  'Judel,' 
97,  98;  review  of  his  life  and 
writings,  148-1()0;  first  work  in 
Kol-mewasser,  150;  his  birth,  150; 
education,  150;  wanderings,  150, 
151 :  life  in  Kremenets,  151 ;  meet- 
ing with  Gottlober,  151,  152 ;  begin- 
ning of  literary  career,  152  ;  artistic 
nature,  152;  compared  with  his 
predecessors,  152, 153  ;  his  ideal  of 
reform,  153;  love  of  the  peoijle, 
153,  1")'! ;  style  and  language,  151 ; 
abandous  anonym,  155  ;  '  The  Lit- 
tle Man,'  155;  'The  Meat-Tax,  or 
the  Gang  of  City  Benefactors,' 
155,  150 ;  a  social  factor,  150 ; 
'  Fis(;hke  the  Lame,'  150,  157; 
study  of  mendicant  life,  157 ;  '  The 
Dobbin,'  157-159;  psychological 
study,  157 ;  pi'ophecy,  158 ;  per- 
sonifies the  Jewish  race  in  the 
allegory,  159;  prohibition  of  re- 
issue of  book,  159 ;  '  The  Wander- 
ings of  Benjamin  the  Third,'  159, 
160;  study  from  nature,  159; 
creates  the  'Jewish  Don  Qiu.icote,' 
159;  'The  Eulistment,'  100;  scien- 
tific articles,  100;  called  'Grand- 
father,' 160;  ceases  writing.  178; 
on  prayers,  2-15,  246 ;  '  The  Useful 
Calendar,'  252;  and  see  ix,  51, 
176,  177,  179,  187,  231,  234,  235, 
251,  252,  255.  Extracts  and  trans- 
lations: 'The  Dobbin,'  276-285; 
'  Parasiteville,'  284-295. 

Abramsky,  237. 

Absorption  of  Russiau  Jews  by 
America,  xi,  119. 

Adelberg,  S.,  51. 

Africa,  Jews  in,  248. 

'  Ahasuerus-play,'  231,  234,  239. 

"  Akleiue  Weile  wiJllen  mir  spielen," 
56. 


Aksenfeld,  Israel,  influenced  by 
Lefin,  1.36;  review  of  his  life  and 
works,  140-145;  influence  of  his 
wife,  141;  'The  Fillet  of  Pearls,' 
141,  142;  style  and  language,  142; 
drama,  142-145;  'The  First  Re- 
cruit,' 14'2-145;  his  works  as  his- 
torical documents,  145 ;  anonym, 
148,  149;  and  see  137,  138,  154, 
160,  161,  177,  234,  235. 
Alexander      stories,    compared      to 

Schaikewitsch's  novels,  174. 
Alexander  II.,  his   reforms  not   lib- 
eral, 158;  play  at  coronation,  235. 
Allegory,  not   employed   by  Ehreu- 
kranz,  77 ;    in  Goldfaden's  songs, 
87,  88;  in  Abramowitsch's  works, 
97,  98  ;    why  resorted  to  by  Rus- 
siau authors,  211,  212;  employed 
by  Perez,  212,  213. 
AUgemeine     Zeitung    des     Juden- 

t/mins,  29,  31. 
Almanacs,  Abramowitsch's,  160; 
Harkavy's,  227 ;  their  importance, 
252,  253. 
Alperiu,  J.  J.,  155. 
"  A  Maedele  werd  a  Kale,"  62. 
America,  difficulty  of  collecting  data 
in,  x:  absorbing  Russiau  Jews, 
xi,  119;  future  of  J.  G.  in,  10; 
evolution  of  J.  G.,  22;  badchen, 
93 ;  poetry,  118-130 ;  increased 
well-being,  118  :  dulling  of  Jewish 
sensibilities,  119;  American  bal- 
lads in  J.  G.,  119;  in  Zunser's 
songs,  120;  in  J.  G.  literature, 
134,  135;  Longfellow  in  J.  G.,  168; 
H.  Beecher-Stowe  in  J.  G.,  171; 
prose  writers  in,  216-2.30;  Rus- 
siau Jews  before  1881,  216,  217; 
the  immigration,  217,  218;  first 
writers,  218;  daily  press,  219; 
socialistic  propaganda,  219,  220; 
authors,  2'20-224;  magazines,  226- 
229;  instruction  in  citizenship,  by 
Harkavy,  228 ;  and  see  64, 135,  214, 
248. 
American  People's   Calendar,  227; 

and  see  10. 
Americana  Germanica,  76. 
Americauus,  10. 


385 


386 


INDEX 


AmpLibracliic  measure,  in  Rosen- 
f eld's  poetry,  129. 

Amsterdam,  viii,  19,  32. 

Anarchists,  Jewish,  in  America,  121- 
123;  Edelstadt,  122,  123;  periodi- 
cal in  J.  G.,  223;  and  see  126. 

Andersen's  fables,  in  J.  G.,  44. 

Andover  Review,  on  J.  G.  literature, 
10. 

Andree,  R.,  attacks  J.  G.,  12. 

Animal  life,  in  literature,  157-159, 
213. 

Anonyms,  148,  149,  155,  171. 

Anthropology,  in  literature,  249. 

Aniiurul pentru  Israeliti,  44,  51. 

Apotheker,  David,  80,  81. 

Appleton  &  Co.,  221. 

Arabic,  in  non-Semitic  languages, 
15;  'Thousand  and  One  Nights,' 
27;  word-books  in  J.  G.,  248. 

Arbeiterzeitung ,  as  an  educator, 
219;  its  history,  221,  223;  and  see 
225. 

Archiv  fiir  Litteraturgeschichte,  27. 

'  Arise,  ray  People !  '  M.  Gordon's, 
83. 

'Aristocratic  Marriage,  The,'  Gold- 
faden's,  87,  88. 

Arithmetic,  in  J.  G.,  246. 

Art,  conception  of  its  perfection,  95. 

Arthur,  King,  in  J.  G.,  2,  4,  43. 

Asiatic  Museum,  J.  G.  collection, 
viii. 

Assimilation,  advanced  by  M.  Gor- 
don, 83,  84;  of  no  avail,  158;  as 
viewed  by  Spektor,  185  ;  no  longer 
preached,  191. 

Assyria,  50. 

Astor  Library,  manuscript  of  Ettiu- 
ger,  101. 

Atlantic  Monthly,  221. 

Atonement  day,  in  songs,  67. 

'Atonement  Day,  The,'  Dienesohu's, 
190,  191 ;  extract  and  translation, 
314-325. 

"  Auf'n  Barg  steht  a  Taiibele,"  65. 

'Aunt  Sosie,'  Goldfadeu's,  236;  ex- 
tract and  translation,  268-273. 

Austria,  J.  G.  books  in  German  let- 
ters, 256. 

Awramowitsch,  coupletist,  119. 

Badchens,  imitate  Galician  poets, 
80;  school  of,  90-94;  his  func- 
tions, 91 ;  Zunser's  innovation, 
91,  92  ;  American  moditication  of, 
93,  <M ;  why  popular,  101 ;  and  see 
61,  95. 

Bader,  Gerschon,  253. 

Baethgen,  F.,  29. 

Bakst,  printer,  254. 


Ballads,    Rosenf  eld's,    128;      Gold- 
fadeu's, 237 ;    singers  of,  in  Rou- 

mania,  237. 
Bal-schem-tow,  birth,  35;  legends  of, 

38-40 ;  legendary  life,  39,  40 ;  Spek- 

tor's  novel  of,  186. 
'Bar   of    Soap,  The,'  Berenstein's, 

86. 
'  Bar-kochba,'  Goldfaden's,  239. 
Bas-kol,  252. 

Bastille,  in  J.  G.  poetry,  123. 
'Beard,  The,'  M.  Gordon's,  84. 
Beckermann,  174. 
Beecher-Stowe,  H.,  in  J.  G.,  171. 
'Beggar  Family, 'The,'  Rosenfeld's, 

127. 
Beggar  songs,  66. 
Beilinsohn,  printer,  254. 
"  Bei'm  Breg  Wasser  thu'  ich  stehn," 

60. 
Bender,  A.  P.,  50. 
Beranger,  translated,  89. 
Berdichev,   and   Abramowitsch,  31, 

152,  153,  155,  160;  printers.  254. 
Berenson,  B.,  on  literature,  10. 
Berenstein,  S.,  and   M.  Gordon,  82, 

83 ;    his   German   culture,  85,  86 ; 

poems,  S(),  87  ;  cradle  song,  88. 
Bernas,  I.,  editor  of  Hundelskalen- 

der,  253;  of  Ilutikwoh,  256. 
Bernstein,  A.,  in  J.  G.,  translation 

and  imitation,  171,  202. 
Bernstein,  Ignaz,  proverbs,  51,  193. 
Bernstein's  Natural   Science,   in  J. 

G.,  249. 
Bersadskij,  S.  A.,  on  Saul  Wahl,  54. 
Bescht,  see  Bal-schem-tow. 
Betrothal,  early,  57. 
'Betrothal,  The,'  Goldfadeu's,  87. 
'  Bevys  of  Hamptoun,"  in  J.  G.,  8, 

27,  43;  mentioned  by  Dick,  169. 
Bibikov.  155. 
Bible,  Blitz,  19;  apocryphal  stories, 

29 ;  preferred  to  Czar,  68 ;  Biblical 

songs,  Goldfaden's,  88. 
Bibliography,  imperfect  data,  ix;  in 

VolkshihUothek,  199,  20<1. 
Bibliuthek,  see  Jiid.  Bihliothek. 
Bick,  J.  S.,  defends  Lefin,  VM\. 
Bilingualism,    of    medieval    litera- 
tures, 1 ;  of  Jews,  2. 
Biographies,  by  Dick,  171 ;  of  Kab- 

bis,  244. 
'  Bird,  The,'  Zunser's,  93. 
Blaustcin,  174. 
Blitz  Bible,  its  language,  19. 
l'>liunauer,  translated,  101. 
Bodleian  Museum,  J.  G.  collection, 

vii. 
Bohemia,  Jews  of,  3;    words  iu  J. 

G.,  16. 


INDEX 


387 


'Bontsie  Silent,'   Perez's,  210,  211. 

In  Chrestomathy,  332-353. 
'  Book  of  Wisdom  of  Solomon,  The,' 

232. 
Booksellers  iiiul  book.stores,  255. 
Booth  ami  S.ilviiii,  242. 
Boston,  periodical,  124. 
Boiirget,  translated,  225. 
Bovchover,  poetry,  229. 
Bovo,  see  '  Bevys.' 
Bowery  Garden  Theatre,  240. 
'  Bowery  Girl,  The,'  in  J.  G.,  119. 
Bredow,  G.  G.,  30. 
Brehm,  in  J.  G.,  249. 
Bressler,  see  Kotik. 
Brettmauu,  Mascliil,  1G6. 
British  Museum,  J.  G.  collection,  viii. 
Brt)der,  Berel,  poetry  of,  79-80;  his 

imitators,  91,  ii2;  and  see  103. 
'  Broom  and  a  Sweeping,  A,'  Win- 

chevsky"s,  124. 
Brown,  John,  in  J.  G.  poetry,  123. 
Browning,  Robert,  168. 
Briill,  27,  251. 
Buchbiuder,  on  superstitions,  50, 193; 

and  see  174,  187. 
Budianov,  228. 
Budsou,  174. 
Bukauski,  229. 

Bukarest,  theatre  in,  23(j,  2.37. 
Bulgaria,    its    literature    compared 

with  J.  G.,  9;  its  orthography,  21 ; 

language,  23;  renaissance,  135. 
Burlesque,  older,  231 ;  Goldfaden's, 

237. 
Buxtorf ,  29,  42. 
Byplay,  see  Zuspiel. 

Cabbala,  and  Khassidism,  168;  and 
see  20,  50. 

Cahan,  Abraham,  review  of  his  life 
and  writings,  221,  222;  founds 
periodical,  221 ;  writes  English 
sketches,  221 ;  style,  221 ;  works 
not  of  the  highest  merit,  222 ;  and 
see  223,  22."),  226. 

'Cain,'  Goldfaden's,  88. 

Calendars,  see  Almanacs. 

Campe,  J.  H.,  translated  by  Hurwitz, 
134 ;  by  Dick,  171 ;  imitated  by 
Tannenbaum,  222. 

Canal  Street,  New  York,  centre  of 
Ghetto,  216. 

Candle  tax,  in  '  Little  Man,'  156. 

Cantonment,  of  Jewish  children,  68. 

Career  of  Jew,  in  song,  57. 

Cassel,  D.,  31. 

'  Cat  and  the  Mouse,  The,'  Horn- 
stein's,  117. 

'  Cemetery  Nightingale,  The,'  Koseu- 
feld's,  128. 


'Cenietery,  The,'  Ehrenkranz's,  78; 

Sharkansky's,  121 ;  in  poetry,  80. 
Cervantes,  M.,  compared  to  Abra- 

mowitsch,  159. 
Chadak,  247. 
'  Chaimel  the  Rich,'  Falkowitsch's, 

174. 
Chaldea,  superstitious  of,  28,  50. 
'Chanuka,'  Lerner's,  238. 
Vhapers,  68,  90. 

Chaschkes,  M.,  poetry,  10(j,  107. 
Cheeder,  language  of,  20;   and  see 

57,  109,  l.W. 
Chekhov,  his  influence  on  writers, 

222,  230  ;  translated,  225. 
Chelm,  wise  man  of,  52. 
'Child's    Play,'    S.   Rabinowitsch's, 

195,  I'M. 
Childhood,  in  folksong,  56. 
Childreu's  songs,  54. 
Chodrower,  'SI.  .J.,  156. 
'  Cholera  in    the   Year   186(5,   The,' 

Ehrenkranz's,  79. 
Chrestomathy,  its  normalized  text,  x. 
Chronicle,  rhymed,  of  military  ser- 
vice, 68;  of  persecution,  70. 
City  Guide,  The,  226;  and  see  Stddt- 

anzeiger. 
'Clock,  The,'  Zunser's,  93. 
'  Colonization  of  Palestine,  The,'  S. 

Rabinowitsch's,  198. 
Columbus,   in   literature,    134,    135 ; 

and  "Washington,  120. 
Comedy,   Gottlober's,  76,   145,   146; 

L.   Le^^nsohn's,   166,    1()7;    Schai- 

kewitsch's,  173;  S.  Rabinowitsch's, 

198;  Ahasuerus  play,  231,  232,  234 ; 

Goldfaden's,    236;    Sahik's,    243; 

Frumkis's,  243. 
Comical  songs,  70,  71:  Schafir's,  81. 
Commemoration,  songs  of,  by  Schalir, 

81. 
Condition,  of  Jews  in  beginning  of 

century,  131. 
'  Consolation,'  Berenstein's,  86. 
Consonants,  pronunciation  of,  x. 
Constitution,  of  United   States,  in 

J.  G.,  228. 
'  Contented,  The,'  Ehrenkranz's,  78. 
Contributions,  paid  by  Rabinowitseh, 

199. 
'  Conversation    of    the    Khassidim, 

The,'  Brettmann's,  166. 
Co^mo/jolitan,  221. 
Cossacks,  massacre  by,  in  folksong, 

69. 
'  Countryman  and  the   Townsman, 

The,'  Zunser's,  93. 
Cracow,   printing  offices,    16;   local 

legends,  32,   35 ;   and  see  ix,  37, 

106. 


388 


INDEX 


Cradle  songs,  as  folksongs,  54 ; 
Abraniowitscli's,  Liuetzki's,  Gold- 
faden's,  S.  Rabiuowitsch's,  86; 
Goldfadeu's,  88. 

*  Cradle,  The,'  Berenstein's,  8G. 

'  Crazy  Beggar-Student.The,'  Perez's, 
204,  206. 

Criticism,  in  Volkshibliothek  and 
Volkshlatt,  19t)-202 ;  Frischmaun's, 
201 ;  S.  Rabinowitsch's,  201 ;  Rab- 
nizki's,  201;  Katz's,  228;  critical 
apparatus,  Hermalin's,  228. 

"  Criticus,"  10. 

Culture,  defined  by  M.  Gordon,  85. 

Czar,  in  folksong,  ()8 :  cultural  efforts 
of,  H;  not  praised  in  literature, 
120;  calamity  of  serving  him,  14^. 

Dactyllic  measure,  Frug's,  108; 
Winchevsky's,  124. 

'Daisy  Bell,'  in  J.  G.,  119. 

Dalman,  G.  H.,  76. 

Dan,  50. 

Danish,  translation  from,  171. 

Dante,  compared  with  Rosenfeld, 
1.30. 

'Dark  Young  Man,  The,'  Diene- 
•sohn's,  189. 

Darwinism,  in  J.  G.  literature,  249. 

Daudet,  in  J.  G.,  225. 

'  David  and  Goliath,'  231. 

'  David  Copperfield,'  translated,  225. 

David,  King,  in  legend,  32. 

'Day  and  Night,'  Broder's,  80. 

'Decktuch,  Das,'  Gottlober's,  76, 
145,  146. 

Declaration  of  Independence,  in 
J.  G.,  228. 

'Despair,'  Roseufeld's,  128. 

'  Destiny,  or  Discussions  for  Pleas- 
ant Pastime,'  S.  Sobel's,  9(5. 

Delcrioratidii,  of  J.  G.,  since  Dick, 
172-174 ;  its  cause,  175,  176. 

Deutsche  Mundarten,  13. 

Dialects,  of  J.  G.,  17-22;  origin  near 
the  Middle  Rhine,  17,  18 ;  contact 
kept  up  witli  literary  German,  18 ; 
uniformity  in  books,  18  ;  evolution 
(if,  in  Russia,  18,  19;  in  literature, 
21,  22. 

'Dialogue  of  the  New-born  Soul 
with  the  Angel  of  Life,'  96. 

Dick,  Aisik  Meier,  his  corrupt  lan- 
guage, 22,  23 ;  deterioration  of  lan- 
guaice,  134;  review  of  his  works, 
1(;9-172;  noble  purpose,  169-171; 
earnestness,  171 ;  prolific  activity, 
171;  cheap  editions,  171,  172: 
anonyms,  171 ;  his  followers,  172  ; 
(loath,  177;  and  see  35,  68,  145, 
173-175,  179,  189,  193,  216. 


Dickens,  Charles,  in  J.  G.,  225. 

Dictionary,  Lifschitz's,  247. 

Dienesohn,  Jacob,  on  J.  G.  litera- 
ture, 10;  rejoincier  to  Graetz,  13; 
review  of  his  works,  189-191 ;  '  The 
Dark  Young  Man,'  189;  his  jDopu- 
larity,  189;  creates  the  sentimen- 
tal novel,  189;  activity  in  the 
Volkshlatt,  190;  '  Stone  in  the 
Way,'  190;  '  Herschele,'  190;  his 
gentleness,  190  ;  '  The  Atonement 
Day,'  190,  191 ;  compared  with 
Rabinowitsch,  195;  and  see  viii, 
192,  233,  253 ;  extract  and  transla- 
tion, 314-325. 

'  Dietrich  of  Bern,'  4,  43. 

Difficulty  of  study  of  J.  G.  litera- 
ture, viii,  ix. 

Diminutives,  Slavic,  in  J.  G.,  108. 

'  Discovery  of  America,  The,' 
Hurwitz's,  1.34  ;  its  popularity, 
136;  and  see  147,  248. 

Dispute,  songs  of,  Ehrenkranz's,  78; 
Broder's,  80:  Linetzki's,  82;  Zun- 
.ser's,  93 ;  S.  Sobel's,  96. 

Dlugatsch,  22. 

'  Do,  do.  Huckleberry,  Do,'  in  J.  G., 
119. 

'  Dobbin,  The,'  Abramowitsch's,  157- 
159,  and  see  176;  extract  and 
translation,  276-285. 

'  Doctor ,'  Browning's,  168. 

'Doctor  Almosado,'  Goldfadeu's, 
239. 

'  Doctor  Kugelmann,'  166. 

Dolizki,  M.  M.,229. 

'Don  Carlos,'  on  J.  G.  stage,  240. 

'  Don  Quixote,'  Cervantes's  in  J.  G., 
228 ;  and  see  '  Jewish  Don  Quixote, 
The.' 

Dostoyevski,  in  J.  G.,  225. 

Drama,  songs,  in  Goldfadoi's,  89; 
in  America,  119,  120;  Roseufeld's 
dramatic  character,  129;  '  Scrkele,' 
Ettinger's,  138-140;  'The  First 
Recruit.'  Aksenfeld's,  142-145 ; 
'  The  Fillet  of  Pearls,'  Gottlober's. 
145. 146  :  Abramowitsch's,  156, 160; 
Falkowitsch's,  174 :  older  myste- 
ries, 231-23;{ ;  '  David  and  Goliath,' 
2.31 ;  '  The  Sale  of  Joseph,'  231-233; 
'The  Greatness  of  Joseph,'  232; 
'  The  Book  of  the  Wisdom  of  Solo- 
mon,'232;  '  Sale  of  Joseph,'  /un- 
ser's,  232,  233;  iircsont  perform- 
ances of  mysteries.  233;  '  Purim 
plays,'  234;  Kamrasch's,  at  coro- 
nation of  Alexander  II.,  '235 ;  older 
literature,  235,  236 ;  semi-dramatic 
style,  235;  German  models,  '235; 
couplets  in  Aksenfeld's  uud  Gott- 


INDEX 


389 


lober's,  235,  236 ;  Goldfaden's,  236- 
240 ;  '  The  Two  Neighbors  '  and 
'Aunt  Sosie,'2;56;  creation  of  sta2;p, 
236-238;  in  Bukarest,  2:36,  237  fin 
Odessa,  2'M,  238;  his  immediate 
followers,  238 ;  attack  on  theatre, 
239;  Goldfaden's  repertoire,  23!); 
translated  into  Polish,  23'.) ;  in 
America,  240-2-12 ;  its  deteriora- 
tion, 240;  Gordin's,  241,  242;  re- 
vival of,  212,  21.> ;  popular  form  of 
poetry,  213;  aiTd  see  221)  and 
Comedy. 

'  Driver,  The,'  Perez's,  113. 

'  Drubbing  of  the  Apostate  at  Fools- 
town,  The,'  Epstein's,  lG(i. 

Dukes,  L.,  29. 

Dutch  words,  in  J.  G.,  19. 

'  Dworele,'  Gordin's,  241. 

'  Ecclesiastes,'  Lefin's,  136 ;  in  Chres- 
tomathy,  258-261. 

J^conomics,  in  J.  G.,  208. 

Edelstadt,  David,  poetry,  122,  123. 

Egypt,  50. 

Ehrenkranz,  Wolf,  review  of  his 
works,  77-80  ;  improvisations,  77  ; 
his  Hebrew  translation,  77;  songs 
of  reflection,  77,  78;  songs  of  dis- 
pute, 78;  Zu!ipiele,78;  'Memento 
mori,'  78;  other  poems,  79;  Khas- 
sid  songs,  79;  imitated  by  Zunser, 
91,  92;  and  see  82,  87,  103;  poem 
and  translation,  260-265. 

Eisenmenger,  29. 

Eisenstadt  and  Schapiro,  printers,  96. 

Eldadha-Diinl,  30. 

Elijah,  in  legends,  31,  32;  and  see 
39,  169. 

'Elischewa,'  Gordin's,  241. 

Emeth,  The,  Winchevsky's,  124,  226, 
227. 

'Empty  Bottle,  The,'  Berenstein's, 
86. 

England,  poetry  in,  121,  122;  Win- 
chevsky  in,  124 ;  Rosenfeld  in,  125 ; 
Russian  Jews  in,  248;  periodicals, 
255,  256. 

English,  element  in  J.  G.,  22;  mis- 
sionaries writing  in  J.  G.,  135,  l.'i6, 
244;  authors,  in  translation,  168, 
171,  225;  for  Jews,  228;  Jewish 
authors  in,  229,  230;  and  see  x, 
17,  27. 

'Enlistment,  The,'  Abramowitsch's 
160. 

Ephemeral  nature,  of  periodicals, 
xi ;  of  literature,  253,  254. 

Epic  poetry,  why  none,  54. 

Epigrnms,  Ettinger's,  101;  W'in- 
chevsky's,  227. 


Kppelberg,  253. 

Epstein,  M.,  poetry,  165,  166;  and 
see  99,  235. 

Ersch  and  Gruber,  30. 

ICrter,  imitated  by  Gottlober,  146. 

Ethical  treatises,  5,  244. 

Ettinger,  Solomon,  Dr.,  fables,  99; 
review  of  his  life  and  works,  101- 
103;  biography,  101  ;  imitation  of 
German  models,  101 ;  his  works 
not  specifically  Jewish,  101,  102; 
'Serkele,'  138-140:  ideal  and  real 
characters  of  his  drama,  139;  and 
see  20,  73,  lOS,  109,  111,  i:!<>-138, 
147,  148,  152, 154, 177,  234,  2:i-),  236 ; 
poems  and  translations,  260,  261. 

Expatriation,  in  songs,  67. 

Fables,  99-101 ;  translations  of  Kry- 
lov,  99,  100;  Suchostawer's,  99; 
Gottlober's  '  The  Parliament,'  99, 
100 ;  Krylov  translated  by  Reicher- 
sohn  and  Singer,  100;  by  Katze- 
nellenbogen,  100;  Ettinger's,  101; 
Winchev^ky's,  124. 

Fairy  tales,  Frischmann's,  202. 

'  Faithful  Love,  A,'  Frumkis's,  243. 

Falkowitsch,  J.  B.,  dramas,  174 ;  and 
see  235. 

'False  Hope,  The,'  Berenstein's, 
86. 

Familio))freund,  Der,  106;  and  see 
83,  87,  91,  101,  164,  179,  194,  202. 

Familknkalender,  Spektor's,  91,  96, 
116,  179,  213. 

Farces,  with  German  letters,  256. 

'Fashionable  Shoemaker,  The,' 
Spektor's,  181-183. 

Faust,  bookseller,  ix. 

Feder,  Tobias,  attack  on  J.  G.,  136. 

Feigenbaum,  228,  229. 

Feigensohn,  Russian  Grammar,  247. 

"  Ferd  hab'  ich  vun  Paris,"  71. 

'Ferry.  Tlie,'  Zunser,  93. 

Feuilletons,  in  rhyme,  Samostschiu's, 
117;  and  see  ifs. 

'  Fillet  of  Pearls,  The,'  Aksenfeld's, 
141,  142;  and  see  147. 

"Finster  is'  mein'  Welt,"  60. 

'Firebran  1,  The,'  Goldfaden's,  88. 

'  First  Bath  of  Ablution,  The,'  Rosen- 
feld's,  128. 

'  First  Khassid,  The,'  Lefin's,  138. 

'First  Recruit,  The,'  Aksenfeld's, 
142-145;  and  see  160. 

'  Fischke  the  Lame,'  Al)ramowitsch's, 
156,  157;  psychological  study,  157. 

'  Floh  vun  Tischebow,  A,'  Frisch- 
mann's, 201. 

'  Floris  and  Blanchefleur,"  43. 

'  Flower,  Th;>,'  Zunser's,  93. 


390 


INDEX 


Folklore,  German,  among  Slavic 
Jews,  4 ;  its  relation  to  medieval- 
ism, 8;  in  J.  G.,  25-52;  diffusion 
of,  25 ;  innate  love  of,  2ti ;  long 
survival  of,  20,  27 ;  its  composite 
nature,  27,  28 ;  Mendelssohnian 
Reform  opposed  to,  28 ;  Talmudical 
substratum,  29-32 ;  the  Sambation, 
30,  31 ;  treated  by  Meisach,  30,  31 ; 
by  Abramowitseh,  31;  Elijah,  31, 
32;  Moses  and  David,  32;  medieval 
legends,  32-3(5 :  Maimonides,  32-34 ; 
local  legends  in  Slavic  countries, 
34,  35;  in  Wilua,  35;  the  Golem, 
36 ;  the  Thirty-six  (Lamed-wow) 
saints,  3(3-38;  Khassidic  legends, 
38-42 ;  mii-acles,  38 ;  Bal-schem- 
tow,  38^0 ;  stories  of  his  followers, 
40,  41 ;  story  of  penance  and  the 
grateful  dead  person,  41,  42; 
strictly  Jewish  legends.  42 ;  med- 
ieval romances  of  Gentile  origin, 
42-44;  '  Be%'j's  of  Hamptoun,'  43; 
'  Zeena-Ureena,'  43 ;  oral  folktales, 
44-49 ;  their  vast  number,  44 ;  love 
of  story-telling,  44,  45 ;  '  Tlie  Fool 
is  Wiser  than  the  Wise,'  45^9 ; 
popular  bf'licfs,  49,  50;  their  com- 
posite nature,  50;  imaginary  beings 
and  animals,  50 ;  popular  medicine, 
50 ;  proverbs,  51 ;  anecdotes,  Ab- 
deritic  towns,  52 ;  folklore,  in 
Linetzki,  162;  in  Dick,  169;  in 
Meisach,  193. 

Folksong,  53-71 ;  retrospective  spirit 
in,  53;  consideration  of  nature 
absent,  54  ;  no  epic  poetry,  54 ; 
cradle  song,  54,  55;  motherhood, 
ideal  for  women,  5."),  56 ;  childhood 
in,  5();  man's  career,  56,  57;  con- 
ception of  love,  57-59;  songs  of 
pining,  59-61 ;  wedding  and  mar- 
riage in,  61-63;  songs,  of  suffering, 
63.' 64;  of  widowhood,  64,  65;  of 
orphans,  65,  66 ;  of  military  ser- 
vice, persecution,  67-70;  of  soldier's 
life,  (J8,  69;  of  nuissacres,  69,  70; 
gloomy  view  of  life,  70  ;  comical 
ditties',  70,  71 ;  songs  of  Khas- 
sidism,  71;  Lerner,  on,  192. 

'  Fool  is  Wiser  than  the  Wise,  The,' 
45-49. 

France,  Russian  Jews  in,  248. 

Francke,  K.,  (53. 

Frankfurt,  resemlilance  of  its  dialect 
to  J.  G.,  17  :  local  legends,  32. 

Free  World,  The,  255. 

Freid,  M.  J.,  213;  and  see  viii. 

French  authors,  in  J.  G.  translation, 
89,  123,  1(58,  171,  225,  227,  238,  241 ; 
and  see  28. 


Frischmann,  David,  poetry,  116, 117; 
as  a  critic,  201 ;  his  prose,  202 ;  and 
see  199, 253 ;  poem  and  translation, 
294-301. 

'From  the  Marriage  Baldachin,'  M. 
Gordon's,  84. 

Frag,  S.,  his  defence  of  J.  G.,  12; 
review  of  his  life  and  works,  107- 
110  ;  why  writing  in  J.  G.,  107 ; 
]irevious  poetical  career  in  Russian, 
108 ;  greater  value  of  his  J.  G. 
]ioel  ry,  108 ;  model  of  beautiful 
style,  108;  mellifluousness  of  his 
word-formations,  108,  109;  his 
subject  —  tears,  109;  review  of  his 
songs,  109;  absence  of  dramatic 
qualities,  110;  Rosenfeld's  greet- 
ing to,  126 ;  and  see  122,  125,  187 ; 
poems  and  translation,  306-311. 

Frumkis,  Sanwill,  dramatist,  243, 

'  Fur  Gap,  The.'  Perez's,  211. 

Future,  The,  255. 

Galicia,  culture  of  Jews  in,  72;  its 
periodicals,  72;  its  poets,  77-82; 
Ehrenkranz,  77-79 ;  Broder,  79, 80 ; 
imitated  by  badchens,  80;  Apothe- 
ker,  80,  81;  Schafir,  81,  82 ;  reform 
in,  132;  theatre  in,  242;  periodi- 
cals, 250 ;  printing  offices,  255 ; 
and  see  ix. 

Gaon,  of  Wilna,  in  folklore,  35,  36. 

Garshin,  in  J.  G.,  225;  and  see  230. 

Gaster,  M.,  28,  29,  34. 

Gelbhaus,  S.,  27. 

Gentiles,  their  literature  identical 
with  Jews',  2,  3;  blood  in  Pass- 
over ceremony,  82. 

Geography,  in  J.  G.  literature,  134, 
135,  248,  249. 

German  =  civilized,  73 ;  a  nickname, 
149;  Jews  after  Mendelssohn,  (!; 
culture  in  Russia,  73;  language, 
not  possible  for  Russian  Jews,  7; 
element  in  J.  G.,  in  Russia,  21,  23; 
in  America,  22,  216,  217  ;  in  Gali- 
cia, 72,  132  ;  in  Schafir's  poetry, 
SI ;  in  periodicals,  133;  literature, 
J.  G.  songs  as,  3;  model  for  J.  G., 
7;  authors  in  J.  G.  translatiims 
and  adaptations,  56, 73, 7(5, 101, 102, 
I-K;,  147, 1()5, 168,  225,  238,  241 ;  and 
see  Blumauer,  Grillparzer,  Gutz- 
kow,  Ilauptmann,  Lessing,  Ricti- 
tcr,  Schiller ;  clement  in  folklore, 
28;  school  of  poet rv.  89:  J.  G..  with 
—  letters,  25(5 ;  and  see  50,  (54,  248. 

'  Geschichte  vun  Mechiras  Jossef 
u-(i(lulas  Jossef,'  232. 

Ghetto,  in  New  York,  119,  217,  218, 
et  passim. 


INDEX 


391 


Oilgulvn,  in  folklore,  44,  RO ;  in 
Qottlober's  work,  see  Transmi- 
gration. 

Girls'  songs,  55,  57-59. 

Globus,  12,  38.  44. 

Gloom,  in  folksong,  90;  in  Rosen- 
feld,  12i». 

Goethe,  128. 

Gogol,  translated  by  Schaikewitsch, 
173;  compared  with  S.  Rabino- 
witsch,  195,  196;  adapted  by  Gor- 
din,  241. 

Goido,  J.,  his  activity  in  Russia,  213, 
214 :  in  America,  224,  225 ;  and  see 
10,  22t5,  228. 

Goldfaden,  Abraham,  review  of  his 
poetry,  87-8!) ;  allegorical  and  his- 
torical songs,  87,  88;  'The  Jew,' 
87  ;  '  The  Aristocratic  Marriage,' 
87,  88;  'That  Little  Trace  of  a 
Jew,' 88;  his  prolific  activity,  88, 
89 ;  poetry  in  his  dramas.  89 ;  '  The 
Jewess,'  89  ;  his  most  original 
period,  89;  '  Schabssiel.'  influenced 
by  Abramowitsch,  9S  :  in  America. 
l'}0,  218:  starts  periodical,  218: 
founds  theatre,  23fi-2.;9,  and  see 
Theatre ;  and  see  8fi,  92,  103.  lOU, 
118,  187,  23,-),  242,  2.-)l,  2.5.3,  2.5(i; 
extracts  and  translation,  268-273. 

Goldstein,  Rosa,  116. 

'Gold  Watch,  The,'  Ehrenkranz's, 
78. 

Golem,  36, 

Golubok,  240. 

Gonto,  in  rhymed  chronicle,  70. 

Gordin,  J.,  dramatist,  review  of  his 
life  and  works,  241,  242. 

Gordon,  Jehuda  Loeb,  not  translator 
of  'Two  Grenadiers,'  75;  review 
of  his  poetry,  89,  90 ;  not  surpassed 
in  simplicity  of  diction,  warmth  of 
feeling,  and  purity  of  language, 
90;  and  see  7,  105,  117,  177,  178; 
poem  and  translation,  272-277. 

Gordon,  Michel,  review  of  his  life 
and  works,  82-85;  compared  with 
Bereustein,  82,  83 ;  his  poetry  mili- 
tant, 83,  84;  'Arise,  my  People,' 
83,  84;  preaches  assimilation,  84; 
decries  evil  customs,  84,  85;  his 
definition  of  true  culture.  85 ;  his 
ballad,  85:  Frug's  obligatiim  to, 
IDS:  and  see  73.  87-89,  91,  il2,  103, 
106,  107,  148,  177,  187,  2.33 ;  poem 
and  translation,  2()4-269. 

Gorki,  imitated  by  Kobrin,  226. 

Gosche,  see  Archiv. 

Gottlieb,  H.  L.,  256. 

Gottlober,  H.  L.,  his  popular  poems, 
76,    77;    adaptations    of    German 


authors,  76 ;  his  fable  '  The  Parlia- 
ment,' !I9, 100 ;  influenced  by  Lefin, 
1.36 ;  his  comedy  '  The  Marriage 
Veil,'  145,  14<);  his  satire  'The 
Transmigration,'  146  ;  meeting 
with  Abramowitsch,  151,  1.52;  his 
daughter,  152;  idealized  by  Abra- 
mowitsch, 1.55;  and  see  viii,  7,  20, 
73,  75,  76,  91,  101,  137, 141, 147,  148, 
1,54,  2.34,  2.35. 

'  Grab,  Das,'  Uhland's,  in  J.  G.,  121. 

'  Griiberlied,  Das,'  Gottlober's,  76. 

Griitz,  his  dogmatic  statements,  13; 
translated,  Kw,  249. 

Grammar,  J.  G.,  why  none,  246,  247. 

'Grandfather,'  see  Abramowitsch. 

'  Greatness  of  Joseph,  The,'  232. 

Greek,  spelling  compared  with  J.  G., 
21 ;  Church,  its  missions  among 
Jews,  244. 

'  Greeting  to  Zion,'  Schafir's,  81. 

Grillparzer,  on  J.  G.  stage,  241. 

Grimm's  fairy  tales  in  J.  G.,  44. 

Grossgliick,  Solomon,  213. 

Griinbaum,  M.,  his  ignorance  of  J. 
G.,  ix,  9,  13. 

Giidemann,  M.,  his  attitude  to  J.  G., 
13;  and  see  17,  51. 

Giinsburg,  134 :  and  see  Hurwitz,  Oh. 

Gurewitsch,  226. 

Gutzkow,  translated,  238. 

Gypsy,  xi. 

HaJisroeH.  251. 

Hajoez,  256. 

Huinaqid,  152. 

HarneUz,  148,  149,  177,  251. 

Handelskalender,  see  Jiid.  Handels- 
kalender. 

'  Happy  Reader  of  the  Haphtora, 
Tlie,'  Zweifel's,  175. 

Harkavy,  Alexander,  227.  228; 
founds  almanac.  227 :  writer  of 
text-books,  228 ;  teacher  of  Ameri- 
can citizenship,  228 :  his  deserts  in 
the  education  of  the  Jews,  228; 
translates  'Don  Quixote,'  228. 

Harkavy,  Professor,  his  gift  of 
books. ix. 

'Harp,  The,"  Hornstein's,  117. 

Haskala,  see  Reform. 

Hatik>':(>h,2r)(l 

Hauptmann,  111. 

Ha usfrennd,  Der,  compared  with  the 
VolksbibUotlu'k,  110;  its  popular 
character,  1S(),  1,S7 ;  contributors 
to,  187;  its  aim.  I!t9;  criticisms  in, 
201:  and  see  10,  21,  51,  83,  87,  90, 
91,  96.  107,  lUi.  1(>4,  179,  190,  194, 
202,  213,  214,  238,  252. 

'  He  and  She,'  Perez's,  113. 


392 


INDEX 


Hebrew,  compared  to  Latin,  2 ;  learn- 
ing in  Slavic  countries,  6;  in- 
struction in,  l(i;  in  Germany,  17; 
religious  literature  in,  18;  studies 
of  Abramowitsch,  151,  152;  lan- 
guage of  enlightenment  in  Galicia, 
72  ;  translations,  Ehrenlcranz's  and 
others,  77;  literature,  affecting  J. 
G.,  7;  in  translation,  Gottlober's, 
76, 147;  Samostscliin's,  117;  from 
Luzzato,  1()8 ;  words,  their  spelling, 
x;  in  J.  G.,  before  KUh  century, 
15;  in  J.  G.,  vocabulary,  22;  in 
Linetzki,  22;  their  absence  in 
Winchevsky  and  Edelstadt,  122 ; 
in  mnemonic  songs,  56. 

Hebre.io  American,  228. 

Habreio  Puck,  227. 

HeiUrie  Land,  Dan,  87,  91,  201,  252. 

Heine,  Perez's  obligations  to.  111 ; 
his  imitation  of,  114;  Roseufeld's 
obligations  to,  126 ;  and  see  75. 

Heiniive,  H.,  50. 

'  Hektor  and  Andromache,'  Schiller's, 
parodied,  121. 

Held,  Hersch  Meier,  155. 

Helwich,  Ch.,  43. 

Hermalin,  D.  M.,  his  works,  228. 

'Hernani,'  Hugo's,  translated,  241. 

'  Hersdiele,'  Dienesohn's,  190 ;  and 
see  23.3. 

Herschele  Ostropoler,  52. 

Hidden  saints,  36-.38. 

High  German,  J.  G.  a  dialect  of,  17. 

Hindustani,  compared  with  J.  G.,  15, 
17. 

"  Hinter  Jankeles  Wiegele,"  54,  55; 
made  use  of  by  Borenstein,  86. 

Historical  subjects,  not  used  by 
Ehvenkranz,  77 ;  in  Goldfaden's 
songs,  87  ;  in  his  dramas,  239. 

History,  in  literature,  249;  of  J.  G. 
literature,  Schulmann's,  ix,  200. 

'  History  of  the  Jews,'  Griltz's  tran.s- 
lated,  165. 

Hochbaum,  S.,  106. 

'  Hoffnnng,  Die,'  Schiller's,  trans- 
lated, si). 

Holiday  Leaves,  see  Jontewhlattlech. 

Holland,  Poli,sh  Jews  in,  19;  Rosen- 
feld  in,  125. 

'  Homesickness,'  Schafir's,  81. 

Hoinunculus,  see  Golem. 

Hood,  Thonias,  translated,  123;  and 
see  114,  129. 

Hornstein,  G.  O.,  his  works,  117. 

Ho)igliton.  Mimin  &  Co..  221. 

'  How  Grandfather's  (^liild  put  on 
her  First  Shoes,'  Spektor's,  185. 

'How  the  Rich  Live,'  Winchevsky's, 
124. 


'  Hiidel,'  Lew's,  99. 

Hugo,  Victor,  translated,  poetry, 
123;  novel,  227;  dramas,  241. 

Humor,  Linetzki's,  1(>4;  humoristic 
magazine,  227. 

Hungary,  periodical  in,  2.56. 

Hurwitz,  Chaikel,  13;>-135;  his  use  of 
a  Germanized  J.  G.,  134;  effect  of 
his  '  Discovery  of  America  '  on  the 
people,  1.34,  i;i5;  not  forgiven  for 
writing  on  worldly  matters,  136. 

Hurwitz,  coupletist,  119,  240. 

Hymns,  Ataramowitsch's,  97. 

Ibsen,  translated,  241. 

'  I  Cannot  Understand,'  M.  Gordon's, 
84. 

"  Ich  geh'  arauf  auf'n  Gass',"  68. 

'  Ich  lach  sich  vun  euere  Traten  aus,' 
Gottlober's,  76. 

Iliowizi,  H.,  .36. 

Imitators,  Zunser's,  93. 

Imperial  Library,  at  Berlin,  viii; 
at  St.  Petersburg,  viii,  x. 

'  Imported  Bridegroom  and  Other 
Stories,'  Cahan's,  221. 

Improvisations,  of  badchens,  93. 

'  In  the  Basement,'  Perez's,  210. 

'  In  the  Garden  of  the  Dead,'  Rosen- 
feld's,  128. 

'  In  the  Sweat-shop,'  Rnsenfeld's,  129. 

'  In  the  Wilderness,'  Roseufeld's,  129. 

Individuality  of  style,  evidenced  by 
Frischmann's  criticisms,  201,  202; 
not  developed  in  America,  222. 

'Insane  Philosopher,  The, '227;  and 
see  Winchevsky. 

'Inspector,  The,'  Gogol's,  trans- 
lated, 173. 

'  Iron  Safe.  The,'  Zunser's,  93. 

Isaacs,  A.  S.,  29,  31. 

'  Isabella,'  her  works,  187-189;  com- 
]iai-ed  with  Spektor,  187;  'The 
Orphan,'  187,  188;  points  out  dan- 
gers from  superficial  education, 
188. 

Isvaelitische  Annalen,  29. 

Isserls,  Rabbenu  Moses,  in  folklore, 
37,  38. 

Italian,  Frug's  language  compared 
to,  108. 

'  Ivanhoe,'  Scott's,  translated,  168. 

Iwre-teutsch,  20,  23. 

Jacob-s,  J.,  24,  27,  43. 

Ja:fa.  J.,  238. 

Ja.'irhiicher  f.  jiid.  Geschichte  und 

Littrraiur,  27. 
"  Jahren  kleine.  Jfihrenschoene,"  56. 
'  Jaknehos,'  Rabinowitsch's,  198. 
'  Jankel  Boile,'  Kobrin's,  225. 


INDEX 


393 


Jargon,  of  the  Talmiarl,  2;  defined, 

17;  in  Blitz  Bil)le.  lit;  as  name  of 

J.  G..  2:5,  S!) ;  of  SeilTert.  2;5 ;  '  Sonss 

of  tlie  Jewish  Jargon,'  Frug's,  108; 

no  loiitjer  treated  with  contempt, 

i;)2. 
Jassy,  periodical  in,  256 ;  and  see  ix. 
Jehuda,  Jizchok  — ,  Ben  Awraham, 

250. 
'  Jekele  Kundas,'  Abasch's,  1(58. 
Jester,  see  Badchen. 
'Jesus  the   Nazarene,'   Hermalin's, 

228. 
'Jew,  The,'  (loldfaden's,  87. 
'  Jew,  then  not  a  Jew,  then  a  Good 

Jew,  and  again  a  Jew,  A,'  Hoch- 

banm's,  l(i(;. 
'  Jewess,  The,'  Goldfaden's,  89. 
Jeivlsh  Amerlcnn  Library,  The,  22.5. 
'  Jewish  Ante-Passover,'  Schatzkes's, 

174. 
Jewish  Chronicle,  27,  28. 
Jeivish  Commercial  Calendar,  The, 

see  JiicJ.  Handelskalcnder . 
'Jewish    Don     Quixote,'     Abramo- 

witsch's,    31,    1.59;     extract    and 

translation,  284-295. 
Jeioish  Gazette,  The,  its  origin,  216; 

prints   English    supplement,  229; 

and  see  219,  223. 
'Jewish    Melodies,'     Sharkansky's, 

121. 
Jewish  Popular  Calendar,  see  Jild. 

Volkskalender. 
'Jewish  Priest,  The,'  Gordin's,  242. 
'  Jewish  Tunes,'  Sharkansky's,  120. 
Jews,  in  Slavic  towns,  •'? ;  Gei'nian,  of 

the  East  and  West,  identical  before 

the  IHth  century,  (i ;  as  travellers, 

24 ;  disseminators  of  folklore,  25 ; 

fond  of  story-telling,  44 ;  their  wit, 

52. 
Jisrulik,  251 ;  and  see  76,  87. 
Johannisburg,  '  Serkele,'  printed  in, 

149. 
John  III.  of  Poland,  his  letters  patent 

to  Blitz  Bible,  19. 
Jonteiobldttlech,  Perez's,  213;    and 

see  114,  179,  214. 
Jossef  Loksch,  52. 
'  Josscl  Bers  un'  Jossel  Schmaies,' 

Perez's,  113. 
'Jossele     Journeys     to     America,' 

Sharkansky's,  121. 
'Jossele      Ssolowee,'     S.     Rabino- 

witsch's,  198. 
Journal  of  American  Folklore,  12. 
Journalism,  J.  G.,  in  America,  219; 

and  see  223. 
'Judas    Maccabreus,'   Longfellow's, 

translated,  ItiS. 


'Jndel,'  Abramowitsch's,  an  alle- 
gory, 97,  98;  aud  see  157. 

Judeo-Gernuin,  books,  first  printed, 
4 ;  for  women,  55 ;  language,  trans- 
literation, x;  abaudoned  in  Ger- 
many, (i;  its  history,  12-24;  its 
neglect,  by  scholars,  12;  by  Ger- 
man Jews,  13;  prejudice  not  jus- 
tified, 14;  compared  with  the 
evolution  of  other  languages,  14, 
15;  the  Hebrew  element  in,  15-17; 
analogy  in  non-Semitic  languages 
with  Arabic  element,  17;  a  Ger- 
man dialect  group,  17,  18;  evo- 
lution in  Slavic  countries,  18; 
Lithuanian  dialect  nearest  to  lit- 
erary German,  18;  probable  fur- 
ther development  from  Lithuanian 
dialect,  18,  19;  uniformity  in  books 
of  previous  centuries,  19;  Jargon 
of  Blitz  Bible,  its  cause,  19;  older 
stage  of,  in  prayers,  19,  20 ;  Lefin 
regenerates  the  language,  20 ;  chaos 
of  orthography,  21 ;  no  linguistic 
norm,  21;  German  influence,  21, 
22 ;  large  divergence  in  diction,  22, 
23;  various  names  of,  23,  24;  dif- 
ferences between  J.  G.  and  Ger- 
man, 24;  dying  out,  103,  104,  130; 
resuscitated  by  Lefin,  137;  style 
from  Lefin  to  Abramowitscli,  154; 
and  see  Jargon ;  literature,  not 
known  to  the  world,  xi;  in 
newspapers,  xi ;  result  of  anoma- 
lous situation  of  Jews,  3;  made 
possible  through  isolation,  5;  its 
medieval  period  in  Germany,  5 ; 
modern  period  not  a  continuation 
of  old,  5;  identical  in  Slavic  coun- 
tries and  in  Germany  before  l!)th 
century,  (>;  affected  by  Hebrew, 
7;  various  phases  of,  7-9;  com- 
pared with  Bulgarian,  9;  igno- 
rance of  some  investigators  of,  9, 
10;  sympathetic  treatment  of,  10; 
its  future,  10,  11,  214,  215;  history 
of,  Dienesohn's,  192 ;  Schulmann's, 
200. 

Jiidisch,  23. 

Jiidisch-amerikanischer  Volkskaleti- 
der,  238,  25,3. 

Jiidisch-teutsch,  23. 

Jiidische  Bihliothek,  Die,  Perez's, 
its  history  and  its  aims,  207,  208 ; 
and  see  190,  213,  2.52. 

'Jiidische  Merk wiirdigkeiten,' 
Schudt's,  231. 

Jiidische  Post,  Die,  72,  251. 

Jiidische  i'nivcrsalhibliothfk,  .36. 

Jiidische  Volksbibliothek,  Die,  Ra- 
binowitsch's,  its  birth  and  aims. 


394 


INDEX 


110;  compared  with  Hausfreund, 
Wi;  its  superiority,  198,  199;  its 
criticisms,  200 ;  and  see  ix,  29,  76, 
87,  90,  91,  m,  107, 116, 164, 190, 195, 
202. 

Jiidischcr  Handelskalender,  Der, 
253;  and  see  87,  202. 

Jiidischer  Volkskalender,  253;  and 
see  107,  202. 

Jiidischer   Wecker,  Der,  76,  87,  91, 

106,  194,  201. 

Jiidisches  Volksblatt,  its  birth,  105 ; 
its  history,  178,  179 ;  literary  part 
conducted  by  Spektor,  179;  Spek- 
tor  severs  his  connection  with,  186 ; 
criticisms  in,  200;  and  see  12,  13, 
30,  51,  76,  83.  90,  91,  99,  101,  106, 

107,  116,  126,  140,  156,  172, 187, 190, 
194,  202,  238. 

'  Jiinglingam  Bache,  Der,'  Schiller's, 

translated,  76. 
Junosza,  Klemens,  on  J.  G.  literature, 

10;  translates  Abramowitsch,  157, 

159. 
Jusefov,  book  printed  at,  2.32. 

'  Kabaleund  Liebe,'  Schiller's,  trans- 
lated, 241. 

Kahal,  90,  156. 

Kaindl,  R.  F.,  44,  54. 

Kaiser,  W.,  116. 

Kalmus,  Ulrich,  91,  167,  168. 

Kamrasch,  writer  of  drama,  235. 

Kantian  scholar,  132. 

Kantrowitz,  bookseller,  216. 

Karpeles,  9,  13. 

Katz,  228. 

Katzenellenbogen,  Raschi,  his  fables, 
99,  100 ;  dramas,  238 ;  and  see  76. 

Kaufmann,  D.,  '.iO. 

Khassidim,  legends  of  their  founder, 
35 ;  in  folklore,  38-40 ;  in  folksong, 
70;  songs  on,  Ehrenkranz's,  79; 
life  of,  Linetzki's,  162,  163;  Brett- 
mann's,  166;  defined,  168,  169; 
treated  by  Perez,  211. 

Kiev,  Linetzki  in,  82, 149, 164  ;  print- 
ing office,  255;  and  see  ix,  181., 

'  King  Ahasuerus  and  Queen  Esther,' 
Goldfaden's,  239. 

Kirkor,  A.,  36. 

Kleiner  Wecker,  Der,  179,  202. 

Kobrin,  Leon,  writer  of  sketches, 
225,  226 ;  and  see  224,  242. 

Ko/-lc(>m,  252. 

Kol-uietvasser,  founded  by  Zeder- 
baum,  148, 149;  the  rallying  ground 
of  Jewish  writers,  178;  and  see 
viii,  87,  101,  105,  10(i,  l(;i,  251,  252. 

Kol-mcxvasser,  S.  Kabiuowitsch's,  23, 
86,  201. 


Kompert,  202. 

Ktjnigsberg,  periodical  in,  252. 

Konigsberger,  Dr  B.,  29. 

Kopyl,  birthplace  of  Abramowitsch, 

150. 
Korben-ssider-teiitsch ,  20. 
Korner,  quoted  by  Berenstein,  85,  86. 
Korolenko,  translated,  225,  227 ;  and 

see  230. 
Kotik  and  Bressler,  publishers,  249. 
Kowno,  mysteries  in,  232. 
Krafft,  C,  30. 

Krantz,  Philip,  see  Rombro. 
Krauss,  F.  S.,  12. 
Kremenets,  Abramowitsch  in,   150, 

151. 
Krylov,  translated,  99,  100. 

Lachrymose  novel,  Dienesohn's,  189. 

'  Lame  INIarschalik,  The,'  93. 

Lamedwownik,  see  Hidden  Saints. 

La7nteren,  116. 

Landau,  A.,  13,  14. 

I^assale,  translated,  223. 

Lateiner,  J.,  240. 

Latin,  compared  to  Hebrew,  1 

'  Law  Written  on  Parchment,  The,' 
M.  Gordon's,  90, 105 ;  in  Chrestom- 
athy,  272-277. 

Learning,  see  Tore. 

Lefin,  Minchas  Mendel,  founder  of 
modern  period,  20;  review  of  his 
life  and  works,  136-138 ;  his  op- 
ponents and  friends,  136 ;  obliga- 
tions of  later  writers  to,  136,  137; 
introduces  the  vernacular  into 
literature,  1.37 ;  founds  popular  lit- 
erature, 137,  138;  gives  himself 
example  for  new  departure,  138; 
and  see  101,  133,  147,  152,  154;  ex- 
tract and  translation,  258-261. 

Legends,  of  Saul  Wahl,  52;  and  see 
Folklore. 

'  Leier,  Die,'  Apotheker's,  80. 

Leipsie,  printing  of  Aksenfeld's 
works,  149. 

'  Leipsie  Fair,The,'Ehrenkranz'8,79. 

Lemberg,  Mendelssohnian  Reform 
in,  20;  books  printed  in,  27,  40, 
255 ;  and  see  ix,  250. 

'  Lemech  the  Miracle  Worker,'  Ep- 
stein's, 99,  165. 

Lenz,  12. 

Lerner,  J.  J.,  on  folksong,  53,  192; 
his  dramas,  238;  and  see  ix,  14(), 
195,242. 

'  Les  Miserables,'  V.  Hugo's,  trans- 
lated, 227. 

Lcssclrotli,  B.,  1.'!.3,  136. 

Lessintr.  translated,  101,  103,  138, 
147,  165,  168,  241. 


INDEX 


395 


Letterwriter,  in  J.  G.,  246. 

Levi,  G.,  28. 

Levi,  Is.,  28,  43. 

Levi,  J.,  157. 

Levinsolin,  J.  B.,  his  J.  G.  work,  140; 
and  see  7.3,  102,  132,  1.37,  138. 

Levinsolin,  Ludwig,  liis  comedy,  1(57  ; 
and  see  viii,  23,"). 

Levinsolin,  printer,  254. 

Levita,  Elia,  43. 

Lew,  M.  A.,  99. 

Libin,  Z.,  see  Gurewitsch. 

'Library  of  Novels,'  Zuckermann's, 
2m. 

Lifschitz,  247. 

Lifschitz,  J.,  238. 

Lilienblum,  his  drama,  238. 

Linetzki,  Izchak  Joel,  his  Hebra- 
isms, 23;  his  poetical  works,  82; 
compared  with  Ehreiikranz,  82; 
review  of  his  life  and  works,  Ifil- 
165 ;  popularity  of  '  The  Polish 
Boy,'  161;  firaphic  description  of 
Khassid's  life,  161,  162;  his  life, 
162-164;  is  too  didactic,  164;  his 
Rabelaisian  humor,  164;  absence 
of  plot,  164 ;  later  works  less*  read- 
able, lf)4;  his  translations,  165; 
publishes  almanac,  253;  and  see 
ix.  20,  51,  54,  86,  91,  103,  106,  149, 
175,  177,  178,  187,  211,  251,  256. 

Ling,  L.,  123. 

Liondor,  L.  A.,  letterwriter,  246. 

Literutur  itn'  Lebeu,  Perez's,  210; 
and  see  179,  213,  214. 

'Literature  and  Life,'  see  Literatur 
7(7)'  Lebe7i. 

Lithuania,  its  Jewish  dialect,  de- 
fined, 18:  used  by  authors,  21,  82, 
154 :  its  pronunciation  in  normal- 
ized text,  X ;  and  see  4,  132,  171. 

Litinski,  199. 

'Little  Man,  The,'  Abramowitsch's, 
155 ;  and  see  152. 

Little  Russian,  influence  on  J.  G., 
19;  tune  in  J.  G.  sonjr,  89. 

'  Little  Stories  for  Big  Men,'  Perez's, 
212,  213;  allegory  in,  212;  con- 
tents, 212,  21.3. 

Loeb,  Is.,  28. 

Lokschen,  Frischmann's,  201. 

London,  collection  of  J.  G.  litera- 
ture in,  viii:  in  J.  G.  poetry,  124; 
theatre  in,  240;  publications,  256; 
and  see  223. 

Longfellow,  translated,  168. 

Lotze,  H.,  27. 

Love,  not  in  vocabulary,  57,  112;  in 
folksong,  59,  Spektor's  conception 
i)!',  181 ;  as  treated  by  Perez,  209. 

L^wenstein,  L.,  74. 


I  Lubbock,  John,  translated,  224. 
1  Lublin,  printing  in,  27,  244,  255. 
'  Luzzato,  translated,  1()8. 
■  Lyrics,  in  folksong,  53;  Linetzki's, 
I      82 ;  Ehrenkranz's,  79 ;  Perez's,  114 ; 
'      Rosenfeld's,  129. 

Maase  Adonai,  32. 

Maasebuch,  offsets  Gentile  folklore, 

2 ;   intended    mainly  for  Eastern 

readers,  4;  Jewish  legends  in,  5; 

and  see  32,  42. 
Magazines,  in  America,  224 ;  and  see 

Periodicals. 
'Maggot  in  the  Horseradish,  The,' 

Linetzki's,  165. 
Maimon,  Salomon,  132. 
Maimonides,  32. 
Mainz,  periodical  in,  251. 
Maisse,  see  Maase. 
Malay,  xi. 
Ma»i'e-loschen,  23. 
Manes  &  Simel,  printers,  254. 
Mannheim,  performance  at  house  of 

Rabbi  of,  231. 
Manuscripts,    Ettinger's,    in    New 

York,  101 ;  of  J.  G.  productions, 

1.37;  Aksenfeld's,  141. 
Marks,  coupletist,  119. 
Marriage,    early,    57 ;    pleasing    to 

God,  58;  in  folksong,  61. 
'Marriage  Veil,   The,'   Gottlober's, 

145,  146. 
Marsclialik,  see  Badchen. 
'  Marschalik  with  One  Eye,'  93. 
'  Mary  Stuart,'  Schiller'sj  translated, 

240. 
'  Massacres  of  Gonto  in  LTman  and 

the  L^kraine.  The,'  Skomarowski's, 

199,  200. 
Masse,  translated,  168. 
Maundeville,  Sir  John,  44. 
Maupassant,  translated,  225. 
'Measuring  of  the  Graves,'  Rosen- 
feld's, 128. 
'  Meat-Tax,  or  the  Gang  of  City  Ben- 
efactors,   The,'    Abramowitsch's, 

156. 
'Medea,'   Grillparzer's,    translated, 

241. 
Medicine,  treated  popularly  by  Dr. 

Tscherny,  2(X),  '249. 
Medievalism,    preserved    by  Slavic 

Jews,  5 ;  in  folklore,  8. 
"  Mein      Tochter,     wu      bist      du 

gewe'n?  "  63. 
'  Meir  Esofowitsch,'  Orzeszko's,  on 

stage,  241. 
:\Ieisach.  193  ;  and  see  '23,  30,  238. 
Melamed,  language  of,  20;  in  Frug's 

poem,  109. 


396 


INDEX 


MelaDcholy,  in  love  songs,  59,  60. 
'  Melodies    from   the  Country  near 

the  River  San,'  Schafir's,  81. 
Melodramas,  in  America,  119;  Gold- 

faden's,  239. 
M^lusi/ie,  43. 
'Memento    mori,'    and    'Memento 

vivere,'  78. 
Meudele  Mocher  Sforim,   155,  255; 

and  see  Abramowitsch. 
Mendelssohn,  his  teacher,  G;  and  see 

Reform. 
Mendicant,  in  literature,  167,  158. 
'  Merchant  of  Venice,  The,'  trans- 
lated, 228. 
Mesiboz,  birthplace    of    Bal-schem- 

tow,  35. 
'  Messenger,  The,'  Perez's,  204,  205; 

and  see  210. 
Michel,  Louise,  123. 
'  Midnight  Prayer,'  Schafir's,  81. 
'  Milchomo    be-Scholom,'    Pawier's, 

232. 
Militant  poetry,  M.  Gordon's,  83. 
Military  service,  in  folksong,  67-09; 

in  literature,  143-145. 
Minski,  107. 
Miracle-workers,    38,    39;    and    see 

Bal-schem-tow  and  Epstein. 
'Mirror,  The,'  P^hrenkranz's,  78. 
Misnagdim,  defined,  168,   KJit;  and 

see  70,  133. 
Missionaries,  in  J.  G.,  135 ;  translate 

New  Testament,  136;  and  see  244. 
Mitteilungen  d.  Gesellschaft  f.  j'dd. 

Volkskundc,  54,  86. 
'  Mlawe  Malke,'  in  legend,  32. 
Mnemonic  songs,  56. 
Mogulesco,  coupletist,  119. 
'  Moliammed,'  Hermalin's,  228. 
Mohr,  A.  M.,  2.50. 
Monatschrift  f.  GeRchichte  u.  Wis- 

senschafi  den  Judenthums,  74. 
'  Monisch,'  Perez's,  112, 113 ;  and  see 

125. 
Montefiore,  Sir  Moses,  81. 
'Moon    Prayer,    The,'    Rosenfeld's, 

128. 
Moore,  Thomas,  126. 
Moral  treatises,  rhymed,  96. 
Morgenstern,  bookseller,  viii. 
Morgulis,  M.  G.,  157. 
Moscow,  The  Jewish,  152;   and  see 

196. 
Moses,  in  legend,  32. 
M()tlier-in-la\v,  in  folksong,  61,  62. 
Motherhood,  in  folksong,  55. 
'Mother's  Parting,  A,'  J.   L.   Gor- 
don's, 90. 
Motke  Chabad,  52. 
M.-Sziget,  periodical  in,  256. 


'Mursa,'  Freid's,  213. 
Music,  of  cradle  song,  86. 
'  My  Advice,'  M.  Gordon's,  84. 
'  My  Boy,'  Rosenfeld's,  127. 
Mysteries,  231,  232. 
Mythology,    German,    in    folklore, 
49,  50. 

Nadson,  107, 114. 

Nagl,  J.  W.,  13. 

Narodniks,  of  Spektor's  circle,  192; 

in  America,  220. 
Natansohn,  B.,  140. 
'  Nathan  the  Wise,'  Lessiug's,  trans- 
lated, 165;  on  stage,  241. 
'"National  Songs,'  Rosenfeld's,  128; 

Schafir's,  81 ;  of  America,  240. 
National  Theatre,  Jewish  theatre  in, 

240. 
Natural  Science,  translated,  249. 
Nature,  consideration  of,  absent,  54 ; 

and  see  92. 
Nekrasov,  imitated  by  Rabinowitsch, 

106. 
Neubauer,  A.,  74. 
iVewe  Zeit,  Die,  224,  229. 
Neuer  Geist,  Der,  228;  and  see  10, 

224   225   229. 
Newspapers,  in  America,  x,  xi,  219. 
New  Testament,  in  J.  G.,  136. 
New  York,  theatre  in,  118,  119,  240- 

242 ;    and  see  America,  and   101, 

125,  217,  223. 
New  York  Illustrated  Gazette,  The, 

87,  218. 
Neio  Yorker  Illustrirte  Zeitung,  see 

above. 
Nicholas  I.,  his  military  regime,  67, 

68;   Jewish  mind  under,  145;   his 

reforms  liberal,  158. 
'  Niel)elungenlied,'  4. 
'  Night  of  the  Destruction  of  .Jerusa- 
lem, Tlie.'  M.  Perel's,  117. 
'  Night  Songs,'  Frug's,  109. 
'  Nightingale,  The,'  Ehrenkranz's,  77. 
'  Nii^htiiiiiale  to  the  Laliorer,  The,' 

Rdscul'eia's,  130. 
Nihilists,  in  J.  G.  literature,  220. 
Nitsche,  printer,  254. 
'Noble    Tom-Cat,    The,'    "Winchev- 

sky's,  124;  in  Chrestomathy,  312- 

315. 
'  Nora,'  Ibsen's,  on  stage,  241. 
Normalized  text,  x. 
North  American  Indian,  xi. 
'  Nosegay,     The,'     Rabinowitsch's, 

198.' 
Novels,  in  America,  218. 

Obscurity,  alleged,  of   Perez,   201, 
202. 


INDEX 


397 


Odessa,  Ettinger  in,  101;  Aksenfeld 

in,  141:  Linetzki  iu,  Kio;  the:itre 

in,  237;  printing  in,  254;  and  see 

ix. 
•Old    World    and    the    New,   The,' 

Zunser's,  93. 
'  On  Michel  Gordon's  Grave,'  Frug's, 

108. 
'  On  the  Bosom  of  the  Ocean,'  Rosen- 

feld's,  128;  in  Chrestomathy,  324r- 

333. 
'  On    the    History  of    the    Jews    iu 

I'odolia,'  Litinski's,  li)9. 
'  On  Trades,'  Perez's,  208. 
'  One  of  the  Best,'  Frug's,  108. 
Operas,  Goldfaden's,  239. 
'  Ophir,'  Frischiuann's,  116. 
Oppenheim  collection,  vii. 
'  Oppressed,  The,'  Pinski's,  214. 
Oppression,  in  Rosenfeld's  poetry, 

130. 
Oral  form  of  popular  song,  75 
Orgelbraud,  printer,  254. 
Oriental  Theatre,  at  New  York,  240. 
Originality,   lack    of,  iu    American 

writers,  222. 
Orphan,  in  folksong,  65. 
'  Orphan,  The,'  Isabella,  187,  188. 
Orsanskij,  I.  G.,  53. 
Orthography,  in  this  work,  x ;  of  J. 

G.,  21,  246,  247. 
Orzeszko,  translated,  241. 
Ostrov.ski,  compared  with  S.  Rabino- 

witsch,    195 ;     adapted   lor    stage, 

241. 
Oxford,  collection  in  Bodleian  Mu- 
seum, vii. 

Palestine,  Jews  in,  248. 

Paris,  publications,  2.')6 :  and  see  223. 

'Parliament,  The,'  (iottlober's,  99. 

'  Parues-chodesch,  The,'  Gordin's, 
241. 

Parsons,  A.,  123. 

Passover,  Gentile  blood  at,  82. 

Pawier,  Elieser,  2:'>2. 

'Pedler,  The,'  Zunser's,  120. 

Penance,  in  folklore,  41,  42. 

Penkowski,  M.  M.,  116. 

People's  Library,  Th<',  256. 

Perel,  Minchas,  his  poetry,  117. 

Perez,  Leon,  review  of  his  life  and 
works,  110-117,  among  the  great- 
est writers  of  19tli  century,  110; 
his  productivity,  110,  111 ;  his 
course  of  study.  111 ;  not  properly 
a  popular  poet.  111,  112;  allured 
by  Jewish  Muse,  112;  '  Monisch,' 
his  first  production,  112,  11.3;  sto- 
ries in  verse,  113,  114:  shorter 
poems,  imitations,  114;  '  The  Sew- 


ing of  the  Wedding  Gown,'  a 
powerful  poem,  114-116;  his  disci- 
ples, 111);  criticised  by  Frisch- 
mann,  201 ;  as  a  novelist,  202-214; 
most  original  author,  202;  accusa- 
tion of  obscurity  not  entirely  jus- 
tilied,  203;  his  sympathies  ^\ith 
humanity  at  large,  203;  writes  for 
the  lowly,  203,  204 ;  review  of 
'Well-known  Pictures,'  204-206; 
'  The  Messenger,'  204,  205  ;  '  What 
is  a  Soul?'  205,  20(i;  '  The  Crazy 
Beggar-Student,'  206;  founds  L)ie 
jiidische  Bibliothek,  206-208;  as  a 
popularizer  of  sciences,  208;  pre- 
fers the  tragic  moments  in  life, 
209;  his  profound  sympathies  for 
the  masses,  208-210;'  review  of  his 
sketches  in  'Literatui-e  and  Life,' 
210-213;  'The  Fur-Cap,'  211;  his 
allegory  due  to  political  causes, 
212;  'Little  Stories  for  Big  Men,' 
212,  213;  his  di.sciples,  213,  214; 
and  see  viii,  21,  107,  125,  li)9,  214, 
215,  249,  253 ;  '  Bontsie  Silent '  and 
translation,  332-353. 

Periodicals,  x,  110,  1*24,  133,  148,  149, 
177-179,  186,  187,  194,  198-200,  207, 
210,  213,  214,  216,  219,  221,  223- 
229,  250,  255,  '25(). 

Perovskaya,  Sophia,  123. 

Persian,  compared  to  J.  G.,  7,  15. 

Pessimism,  in  folksong,  70 ;  in  cradle 
song,  86. 

Petrikowski,  156. 

Philipson,  D.,  13. 

Phonetic  spelling,  of  Hebrew  and 
Slavic  words,  x. 

'  Pictures  of  a  Provincial  Journey,' 
Perez's,  208. 

Pinski,  David,  his  works,  213,  214. 

Plagiarism,  Zunser's,  93. 

'Plough,  The,'  Zunser's,  120. 

Poetry,  53-130;  folksong,  53-71; 
tl^eir  didactic  purpose,  74 ;  manu- 
script form  of,  74,  75  ;  their  anon3^- 
mousness  leading  to  mistakes,  75 ; 
set  to  music,  74,  75 ;  Gottlober,  76, 
77;  Ehrenkranz,  77-79;  Broder, 
79,80;  Apotheker,  80,  81 ;  Schalir, 
81,  82;  Linetzki,  82;  Gordon  and 
Berenstein,  82,  S3;  M.  Gordon, 
8.3-85;  Berenstein,  85-87;  Gold- 
faden,  87-89;  German  school  of, 
89;  J.  L.  Gordon,  89,  90;  Badchens, 
90,  91;  Zunser,  91-94;  rhymed 
moral  treatises,  95,  96;  S.  Sobel 
and  Zweifel,  !16;  Abramowitsch, 
9r^98 ;  Guldfailcn,  98,  99  :  Lew  and 
Epstein,  99;  fiibles,  9'.>-101 ;  Sucho- 
st.i\\c-r,    9!t;     Guttlober,    99,    100; 


398 


INDEX 


Krylov  in  J.  G.,  99,  100;  Ettinger, 
101,  102;  review  of  development 
of,  103,  104;  after  1881,  105-130; 
S.  Rabinowitsch,  105,  106;  Fam- 
ilienfreund,  100;  Cliasclikes,  106, 
107  ;"Frug,  107-110 ;  Perez,  IIO-IK! ; 
minor,  116;  Frischmaun,  116;  Sa- 
mostscliin,  116,  117;  Perel,  117; 
Hoi'ustein,  117;  in  America,  117- 
130;  theatre  couplet,  119,  120; 
Reingold,  120;  Zunser,  120;  Gold- 
faden, 120 ;  Sharkausky,  120,  121 ; 
socialistic  songs,  121,  122;  Edel- 
stadt,  122,  123;  Wiuchevsky,  123, 
124;  Rosenfeld,  124-130;  and  see 
8,  198,  216,  238. 

Pogrom,  in  song,  67,  69. 

'  Pogrom,  The,'  Gordin's,  242. 

Poland,  J.  G.,  dialect  of,  18;  and  see 
3,  50,  53,  69,  132. 

'Polish  Boy,  The,  Linetzki's,  161, 
164.  165,  175. 

Politih  Jew,  The,  Winchevsky's, 
223,  255. 

'Polish  Scholar,  The,'  J.  Z.  Sobel's, 
216. 

Polish,  works  in  J.  G.,  171,  225,  241 ; 
grammar  in  J.  G.,  133,  247;  J.  G. 
works  in,  10,  157,  159,  2.39;  words 
in  J.  G.,  16,  19;  and  see  21. 

Political  Economy,  in  J.  G.,  249. 

'  Popular  History  of  the  Jews,  The,' 
Graetz's,  translated,  249. 

Popular  Science,  in  J.  G.,  208,  221, 
222  249. 

Potapenko,  translated,  225. 

Prague,  printing  offices,  16;  in  leg- 
end, 32,  36;  periodicals,  250. 

Prayer,  see  Tchines. 

Prayer-book,  in  verse,  96,  97. 

'Precentor,  The,'  Ehrenkranz's,  78. 

Press,  in  America,  229. 

Printing  offices  254,  255. 

'Prizyw,  The,'  231,  234;  and  see 
Enlistment. 

'Progress,  Civilization,'  S.  Rabino- 
witsch's,  106. 

Pronunciation,  of  J.  G.,  x. 

Prose,  131-25(i;  and  see  Drama, 
Judeo-German,  etc. 

Prvst-jiidisch,  23. 

Proverl)S,  51,  193. 

'Proverbs,'  I.etiu's,  13f). 

"  Przemysl,  You  my  Dear  Cradle," 
Schafir's,  81. 

Psalms,  versified,  by  Linetzki,  82; 
Abramowitsch,  97 ;  translated  by 
Lefiu,  136. 

Pseudonyms,  148,  149;  and  see  ix, 
155. 

Puck,  imitated  iu  J.  G.,  227. 


'Purim    and    Passover,'   Spektor's, 

184,  185. 
Purim  plays,  234,  243. 

'  Rabbi  Joselmann,'  Goldfaden's, 
239. 

'  Rabbi  on  the  Ocean,  The,'  Ehren- 
kranz's, 79. 

Rabbinical  schools,  74,  235,  244,  245. 

Rabbis,  opposed  to  folklore,  26;  in 
legends,  32-36 ;  in  folksong,  71 ; 
and  see  6,  50,  91,  124,  163. 

Rabelaisian  humor,  in  Linetzki,  164. 

Rabinowitsch,  B.  Z.,  75. 

Rabinowitsch,  M.  J.,  his  sketches, 
202. 

Rabinowitsch,  Solomon,  his  poetry, 
105, 106;  imitating  Nekrasov,  106; 
establishes  JUdische  Volksbiblio- 
thek,  110;  review  of  his  prose 
works,  194-201 ;  his  versatility, 
and  comparison  with  Spektor,  IM ; 
attracts  attention  of  Russian 
critics,  195 ;  his  delineations  of 
character,  195 ;  compared  to  Gogol 
and  Ostrovski,  195,  196;  a  littera- 
teur, 196;  'Child's  Play,'  196; 
'Sender  Blank,'  196,  197;  '  Stem- 
penju,'  197;  '  Jossele  Ssolowee,' 
198;  his  poetic  prose  not  successful, 
198;  history  of  Volksbibliothek, 
198-200;  criticises  Schaikewitsch, 
200,  201;  and  see  ix,  23,  86,  172, 
179,  199,  215,  220,  252,  253;  extract 
and  translation,  300-305. 

Rabnizki,  as  critic,  201;  and  see  21. 

'Rag  and  the  Papershred,  The,' 
Winchevsky's,  124. 

'  Railroad,  The,'  Zunser's,  93. 

Rambam,  see  Maimonides. 

'Realistic  Library,'  Kobrin's,  225. 

Realists,  in  America,  222,  225. 

'  Reb  Jossel,'  Perez's,  113. 

'  Reb  Treitel,'  Spektor's,  186. 

Rebe,  71 ;  and  see  Rabbi. 

'Rebecca's  Death,'  Goldfaden's,  88. 

'Recollections,'  see  'Sichrones.' 

'  Red  Caroline,'  Freid's,  213. 

Red  Jews,  30,  159. 

Reflection,  songs  of,  77,  82,  93. 

Reform,  Mendelssohnian,  finding  its 
way  into  Russia  and  Poland,  6; 
forcing  Jargon  on  J.  G.,  23;  in 
Galicia,  72;  not  successful  because 
of  ostracism  of  J.  G.,  135 ;  connec- 
tion with,  broken,  191,  196;  and 
see  8,  89,  101,  131,  132,  148,  149. 

Reformation,  by  Dick,  171;  and  see 
4. 

Reichersohn,  Zwi  Hirsch,  translator 
of  Krylov,  100.  "^  -. 


INDEX 


399 


ReiiiKold,  I.,  coupletist,  120. 

Renuuieratiou  of  autliors,  ItiO,  199. 

Resser,  -49. 

R  "tiospectiye  spirit,  in  folksong,  53. 

liTue  de,-<  Eliul''s  Jtiires,  2S,  30. 

Rhine,  Shivi('  Jews  from,  3,  18;  J. 
G.,  resembling  dialects  of  Middle, 
17. 

Richter,  Jean  Paul,  influence  on 
Aksenfeld,  141,  147. 

Rivkin,  bookseller,  ix. 

'  Rochele  the  Singer,'  Falkowitsch's, 
174. 

Romancero,  Perez,  in  style  of,  111. 

Romantic  love,  in  folksong,  57. 

Kombro,  J.,  his  acti\ity,  223,  224; 
and  see  22ti,  238. 

Romm,  printing  office,  97,  170,  254. 

'Rose  between  Thorns,  A,'  Sahik's, 
243. 

'Rosele,'  Gordin's,  241. 

Riisenberg,  F.,  3,74. 

Rosenfeld,  Morris,  review  of  his  life 
and  works,  124-130;  his  life,  125; 
experience  in  sweat-shop,  125  ;  first 
attempts  in  poetry,  125,  126;  his 
obligations  to  various  authors,  12tj ; 
his  cry  of  anguish  and  despair. 
126,  127;  review  of  'The  Songs 
from  the  Ghetto,'  127-129;  his  dra- 
matic and  lyrical  qualities,  129; 
technical  structure  uf  his  poems, 
129,  i:30 ;  compared  to  Dante,  130 ; 
and  see  107,  120,  123,  229,  242; 
poem  and  translation,  324-333. 

Rosenthaliaua,  at  Amsterdam,  viii. 

'  Roumania  Opera  House,'  New  York, 
240. 

Roumania,  theatre  in,  236,  242;  pub- 
lications, 256 ;  and  see  ix,  228. 

Russian,  in  J.  G.  translation  and 
imitation,  76,  89,  168,  171,  222,  225. 
227,  253;  J.  G.  works  translated 
in,  120,  15() ;  education  among 
Jews,  7;  affecting  J.  G.  litera- 
ture, 8,  103;  ideals  among  J. 
G.  writers,  192 ;  intelligence  in 
America,  220:  grammar  in  J.  G., 
247 :  Russianization  unfavorable 
to  J.  G.  literature,  5,  7;  Rus.si- 
cisms  in  J.  G.,  22:  and  see  x,  xi, 
3,  89,  107,  120,  178,  195,  212,  222, 
241. 

'  Russian  Jew  in  America,  The,' 
Gordin's,  242. 

'Russian  Tea-machine,  The,'  Ehren- 
kranz's,  77. 

'  Ruy  Bias,'  V.  Hugo's,  on  stage,  241. 

'  Sabbath  Prayers,'  Abramowitsch's, 
97. 


Sachor-Masoch,  M.,  38. 

'  Sacrifice  of  Isaac,  The,' Goldfaden's, 

239. 
Sahik,  David,  his  comedy,  '243. 
Saincanu,  L.,  14,  24. 
Saints,  see  Hidden  Saints. 
'  Sale  of  Joseph,'  231-233. 
Sambation,    in    legend,   30,  31;    in 

Abramowitsch's   work,  159. 
Samostschin,  Paltiel,  his  poems,  106; 

and  see  ix,  116,  187. 
Satire,  Abramowitsch's,  157 ;  Perez's, 

211 ;  AVinchevsky's,  '227. 
Satulowski,  M.  W.,  his  poems,  116. 
'  Savings  of  the  Women,  The,'  L. 

Levinsohn's,  166,  167. 
'  Schab.ssiel,'  Goldfaden's,  98. 
Schadow,  printer,  '254. 
Schafir,Bajrach  Benedikt,his  poems, 

81,  82. 
Schaikewitsch,    M.    R.,    pernicious 

effect  of  his  works,  172-174 :  criti- 
cised by  Rabinowitsch,  200,  201; 

in   America,  218;    and   see  9,  22, 

i;U,   181,   189,   215,   220,   227,  238, 

240,  298,  299. 
Schatzkes,   M    A  ,   his  '  Ante-Pass- 
over,' 174,  175,  and  see  38,  51 
Scheinfinkel,  bookseller,  viii. 
Schildburg,  52. 
Schiller,  translated,  76,  85,  86,  101, 

103,  147,  241;  parodied,  121;  and 

see  126 
"  Schoen  bin  ich,  schoen,  un'  schoen 

is'  mein  Namen,"  58. 
Schomer,  see  Schaikewitsch. 
'  Schomer 's    Mischpet,'    S.    Rabino- 

witsch's,  200,  '201. 
Schroder,  43. 
Schudt,  231. 
Schuhl,  M  ,  51. 
Schulmann,  A  ,  on  literature,  200; 

and  see  ix,  13. 
"  Schwarz  bist  du,  schwarz,  aso  wie 

a  Zigeuner,"  59. 
Schwarzfeld,  M.,  44,  51. 
Sciences  in  J.  G.,  ItiO,  199,  208,  224. 
Scott,  Walter,  translated,  168. 
Scribe,  translated,  238. 
Segel,  B.  W.,  31,  32,  :58,  44,  51,  53. 
Seiffert,  M.,  '22,  '23,  172,  174,  218,  2'29, 
Selikowitsch,  r20. 
'Sender  Blank,'  S.  Rabinowitsch's, 

V.X),  197. 
Sensational  novel,  in  America,  230. 
Sentimental  novel,  Dienesohn's,  189; 

and  see  181. 
Serapeum,  2,  4,  30,  31,  38,  42,  50,  52, 

74,  231. 
Serious  aspects  of  life,  in  folksong, 

54. 


400 


INDEX 


'Sei-kele,'  Ettinsjer's,  138-140;  and 
see  101,  149,  236. 

'  Sermon  of  the  Lamps,  The,'  Perez's, 
212,  213. 

'  Sewing  of  the  Wedding  Gown,  The,' 
Perez's,  110,  114,  115. 

Shakespeare,  translated,  224,  228. 

Sharkansky,  A.  M.,  review  of  his 
poetry,  120,  121;  and  see  226, 
229. 

Shchedrin,  imitated  by  Goido,  225. 

Shelley,  obligations  to.  111,  12(). 

'Shoemaker  and  Tailor,'  Broder's, 
80. 

Short  Stones,  221. 

'  Sichrones,'  Gottlober's,  134, 141. 

Siegfried,  4. 

Sienkiewicz,  translated,  225. 

Silo,  in  rhymed  chronicle,  70. 

'  Sinbad  the  Sailor,'  in  J.  G.,  44. 

Singer,!.,  100. 

Sistematiceskij  ukazateV,  10,  28,  38, 
44,  51,  150,  161,  238. 

"  Sitz'  ieh  mir  auf'n  Stein,"  58. 

Skomarowski,  Dr.,  200. 

Skurchowitsch,  Russian  grammar, 
247 

Slavic,  Jews,  more  active  than  Ger- 
man, 5;  separated  from  German, 
0;  element  in  folklore,  28,  50;  in 
language,  If),  108;  folksongs  in  J. 
G.,56,59,  GO;  words  spelled  pho- 
netically, X ;  and  see  137. 

',Sleep,  The,'  Berenstein's,  86. 

Sliwien,  see  Kirkor. 

Sobel,  Jacob  Zwi,  216. 

Sobel,  S.,  his  poetry,  96. 

Socialism,  in  J.  G.  literature,  221, 
255,  256;  Socialists  in  America, 
121-124,   126,   219,   221,   229. 

'Socialistic  Library,'  London,  255. 

Soeiete  des  Etudes  Juives,  38. 

Sokolowski,  Dr.,  70. 

Solotkov,  N.,  10,  228, 

'  Song  of  Summer  and  Winter,' 
Zunser's,  93. 

'  Song  of  the  Gravedigger,'  Broder's, 
80. 

'Song  of  the  Shirt,'  Hood's,  trans- 
lated, 123;  and  see  129. 

Songs,  set  to  music,  74,  75,  84 ;  and 
see  3,  239,  and  Folksong,  Poetry, 
etc. 

'  Songs  from  the  Ghetto,'  Rosen- 
f  eld's,  127-130. 

'  Songs  from  the  Heart,'  Chaschkes's, 
107. 

'Songs  of  .Jewish  Jargon,'  Frug's, 
108. 

'  Songs  of  Labor,'  Rosenfeld's,  127. 

'Songs  of  Ziou,'  Sharkausky's,  121. 


Sonnet  rhymes,  Rosenfeld's,  130. 

Southern,  dialect  in  literature,  77, 
83,  154  ;  writers,  175. 

Spanish,  translation  from,  228;  and 
see  1,  24,  248. 

Spektor,  Mordechai,  founds  Haiis- 
freund,  110;  review  of  his  life  and 
works,  177-193;  taking  charge  of 
Volksblatt,  179;  his  melancholy 
dignity  and  even  tenor,  180;  de- 
scribes life  of  artisan,  180;  his 
simplicity  of  style,  181 ;  candid 
treatment  of  love,  181 ;  '  The  Fash- 
ionable Shoemaker,'  181-183 : '  Tm-o 
Companions,'  183,  184;  shorter 
stories,  185;  his  strict  objectivity, 
185;  'RebTreitel,' 186:  on  the  life 
of  the  Balschem-tow,  186  ;  purpose 
and  contributors  of  Hausfreund, 
186,  187;  and  see  viii,  51,  106, 
179,  191,  19:3-195,  199,  203,  207, 
214,  215,  252,  253. 

Spektor,  Mrs.,  see  Isabella. 

Sseefer  Maisse  Zadikim,  40. 

Sseefer  Sikoron,  148,  150,  161,  169, 
179,  195. 

St.  Petersburg,  Imperial  Library  of, 
x;  periodicals,  105,  179;  and  see 
viii,  238. 

Stadt-unzeiger,  Der,  10,  238. 

'  Stagnant  Pool,  The,'  Perez's,  212. 

Stars  and  Stripes,  in  J.  G.  literature, 
120. 

Steinschneider,  M.,  his  ignorance  of 
J.  G.,  9;  antipathy  to  J.  G.,  13; 
and  see  19,  27,  196,  and  Serapeum. 

'  Stempenju,'  S.  Rabinowitsch's,  196, 
197 ;  extract  and  translation,  300- 
305. 

'  Stepmother,  The,'  M.  Gordon's,  85, 
233 ;  poem  and  translation,  264- 
269. 

'Stone  in  the  Way,  The,'  Diene- 
sohn's,    190. 

'  Story  of  a  Piece  of  Bread,'  Masse's, 
translated,  KkS. 

'Story  of  Long  Ago,  A,'  J.  L.  Gor- 
don's, 90. 

Strack,  13. 

Style,  Aksenfeld's,  142;  from  Lefin 
to  Abramowitsi'li,  154 ;  since  Abra- 
mowitsch,155;  Dick's,  172;  Perez's, 
204. 

Snchostawer,  Mordechai,  99. 

'  Sulamitli,'  Goldfadcn's,  239. 

Superstitions,  49,  50,  193. 

Siisskiiid,  ;>. 

Suwalk,  birtiiiilaco  of  Roseufeld,  125. 

Swcat-sho]),  and  Kosenfeld,  125;  and 
see  lis.  119,  123,  129. 

Symbolism,  Perez's,  201. 


INDEX 


401 


Talmud,  in  Russia,  16,  53,  \^2;  folk- 
lore of,  27,  29-32,  49,  50;  legends 
treated  by  Perez,  111 ;  by  Meisacb, 
193;  and  see  57. 

Tannenbaum,  Abrabam.  popularizer 
of  science,  222,  223,  249. 

Tchines,  language  of,  20 ;  literature 
of,  244,  245 ;  and  see  128. 

Tchines-teutsch,  20. 

Tears,  in  art,  95;  in  poetry,  109. 

Tendlau,  A.  M.,  28,  52. 

'Tenth  Commandment,  The,'  Gold- 
faden's,  239. 

'  Teudo  Beisroel,'  J.  L.  Levinsohn's, 
140. 

Teut.'idi,  23. 

Text-books,  in  J.  G.,  247,  248. 

Thankful  Dead,  in  folklore,  41,  42. 

'  That  Little  Trace  of  a  Jew,'  Gold- 
faden's,  88. 

Theatre,  231-243;  old  period,  231- 
234;  'The  Sale  of  Joseph,'  etc., 
231-233 :  my.steries,  232 ;  Zunser's 
play,  232,  233;  performance  of 
'Sale  of  Joseph,'  233;  Purim 
plaj^s,  234;    dramas    not    staged, 

234,  235 ;  early  prose  style  dra- 
matic, 235;    structure  of  drama, 

235,  2.36;  first  two  comedies  of 
Goldfaden,  236;  founds  theatre  in 
Roumania,  236,  2.37 ;  vicissitudes 
of,  in  Russia,  237,  2:>S;  Lerner's 
adaptations,  238;  Goldfaden's  his- 
torical dramas,  239;  established 
in  New  York,  240;  deterioration 
of,  240,  241 ;  Gordin's  activity, 
241,  242;  future  of,  242,  243;  its 
primitive  nature,  243;  and  see 
Drama,  Comedy. 

'  Theatre,  The,'  Ehrenkranz's,  78. 

Thirty-six,  The,  see  Hidden  Saints. 

'  Thousand  and  One  Nights,'  in  J.  G., 
27,  43. 

'Three  Persons,'  Spektor's,  185. 

Till  Eulenspiegel,  !)2. 

'  'Tis  Best  to  Live  without  Worry- 
ing,' Ehrenkranz's,  78. 

Titles,  of  books,  55. 

'  To  iSIichel  Gordon,'  Frug's,  108. 

'  To  Our  Poet,'  S.  Rabinowitsch's, 
105. 

'To  the  Flowers  in  Autumn,'  Rosen- 
feld's,  128,  129. 

Tomaschewski,  240. 

'  Tombstone,  The,'  Ehrenkranz's, 
78. 

'  Tombstone-cutter,  The,'  Ehren- 
kranz's, 78. 

'  Tony,'  Korner's,  quoted,  86. 

Topolowsky,  printer,  216. 

Tore,  in  folksong,  54,  70. 


Tradition,  no,  in  J.  G.  poetry,  108. 

Tragedy,  see  Drama. 

Translations,  see  German,  French, 
English,  Polish,  Russian,  etc. 

Transliteration  of  J.  G.,  x. 

'  Transmigration,  The,'  Gottlober's, 
14<;. 

'  Trilby,'  on  stage,  240. 

Trubnik,  J.,  29. 

'  True  Education  and  the  False  Edu- 
cation, The,'  M.  Gordon's,  85. 

Tscharny,  159. 

Tscherny,  Dr.,  200,  249. 

Tunes  of  Songs,  74,  75,  89. 

Turkish,  compared  Avith  J.  G.,  15,  17. 

Turner  Hall  Theatre,  New  York,  240. 

'Turnip  Soup,  The,'  M.  Gordon,  84. 

'  Two  Companions,'  Spektor's,  183, 
184. 

'  Two  Grenadiers,'  Heine's,  paro- 
died, 75. 

'Two  Neighbors,  The,'  Goldfaden's, 
236. 

Uhland,  translated,  121. 

Ukraine,  blood  bath  of,  70. 

'  Uncle  Moses  Mendelssohn,'  Ler- 
ner's, 238. 

'Uncle,  The,'  Spektor's,  185. 

'  Unhappy  Man,  The.'  96. 

'  Universal  History,'  Resser's,  249. 

Urquell,  29,  31,  38,  44,  50,  52-54. 

Useful  Calendar,  The,  Abramo- 
witsch's,  252. 

Venice,  Bovo  printed  in,  43. 
Verne,  Jules,  translated,  222. 
Vilenkin,  107. 

Volhynia,  dialect  of,  in  literature, 
21 ;  and  see  77,  150. 

Volksblbliothek,  see  Jiid.  Volksbib. 

Volksbfatt,  see  Jihi.  Volksblatt. 

Volk.tfreund ,  164. 

Voscfiod,  10,  54,  75,  90,  157, 195. 
Vowels,  pronunciation  of,  x. 

Wagenseil,  42. 

Wa'hl,  Saul,  54. 

'  Wanderer,  The,'  Ehrenkranz's,  80. 

'  Wanderings  of  Benjamin  the  Third, 

The,'  Abramowitsch's,  159,  160. 
War,  Jews  opposed  to,  67. 
Warsaw,  bookstores  in,  viii ;  prints, 

27,244,254;  periodicals,  133,  250; 

Spektor  in,  186,  187;  theatre,  239, 

242 ;  and  see  97,  125,  132,  148. 
Waj-saiu  Jewish  Family  Calendar, 

The,  253;  and  see  Faniilienkalen- 

der. 
Warschaicer  jiidische  Zeitung,  Die, 

viii,  76,  251, 


402 


INDEX 


"  Wasser  schaumtjWasser  schaumt," 
66. 

'Watch,  The,'  Zunser's,  92. 

Wecker,  see  Jiid.  Wecke7\ 

Wedding,  in  folksong,  61. 

Weiherdeutsch,  55. 

Weissberg,  M.,  72. 

*  Well-known  Pictures,'  Perez's, 
204-20(3. 

'  What  is  a  Soul  ? '  Perez's,  204-206. 

'  While  you  Live,  you  Must  not 
Think  of  Death,'  Ehrenkranz's, 
78. 

White  Russian  element  in  J.  G.,  19. 

'  Whither? '  Rosenf eld's,  128. 

Widerkol,  179. 

Widowhood,  in  song,  64. 

Wiener,  L.,  54,  76. 

Wiernik,  Ph.,  10,  229. 

Wigalois,  4. 

'  Wigderl  the  Son  of  AVigderl,'  166. 

'  Wild  Man,  The,'  Gordiu's,  242. 

Wilna,  local  tales,  35,  .36 ;  books 
printed  in,  27,  lai,  245,  254 ;  publi- 
cation, 214;  and  see  viii,  74,  145, 
149,  221. 

Winchevsky,  Morris,  his  poetry,  123, 
124 ;  his  culture  and  socialism,  123 ; 
treats  on  social  questions,  124  ;  his 
fables,  124;  his  prose,  226,  227; 
edits  Emeth,  226,  227;  his  style 
carefully  balanced,  227;  excellence 
of  his  translations,  227 ;  and  see  22, 
107,  122,  223, 242 ;  poem  and  trans- 
lation, 312-315. 

Wisla,  38. 

Wollmann,  167. 

Woloderski,  B.,  83. 

Women,  as  preservers  of  J.  G.,  18; 
their  love  of  folktales,  26;  books 
for,  55 ;  songs  on,  89 ;  in  literature, 
see  Isabella,  Goldstein. 

Word-building.  Abramowitsch's,154. 

Word-painting,  Rosenfeld's,  126, 129, 

130. 
Workers'  Friend,  The,  223. 

*  Workingmen's  Program,'  Las- 
sale's,  translated,  223. 


'  World  Turned  Topsy-Turvy,  The,' 
J.  B.  Levinsohn's,  140. 

'  Yekl,'  Cahan's,  221. 
Yiddish,  23. 

'  Young  Tears,'  Berenstein's,  86. 
Youth,  songs  of,  56. 

Zamoszcz,  Ettinger  in,  101 ;  Perez 
born  in.  111 ;  seat  of  Haskala,  132. 

Zazkin,  Russian  Grammar,  247. 

Zbaraz,  Ehrenkrauz  born  in,  77. 

Zbidr  v:iadomosci  do  antropologii 
krajotvej,  see  Segel. 

Zederbaum,  founder  of  Kol-mewas- 
scr,  148,  149;  his  deserts  in  J.  G. 
letters,  177,  178;  the  connecting 
link  between  two  generations  of 
writers,  177  ;  founds  Hebrew  peri- 
odical, 177 ;  his  Kol-mewusser,  178 ; 
founds  Volksblatt,  178,  179;  and 
see  111,  215,  251,  252. 

'  Zeena  Ureena',  5,  19,  43. 

Zeit,  Die,  229. 

Zeiischrift  d.Vereinsf.  Volkskunde, 
29,  44,  54. 

Zeitschrift  f.  Ethnologie,  44. 

Zeitung',li,  2,")0. 

Zhelezniak,  in  rhymed  chronicle,  70. 

Zhitomir,  books  published  in,  83,  87, 
97,  254;  Rabbinical  school  in,  74, 
149 ;  and  see  245. 

Zionism,  185,  192,  193,  214,  252. 

Zuckermaun,  publisher,  256. 

Zvkunft,  Die,  224. 

Zunser,  Eliokum,  his  poetry,  91-93; 
reforming  badchen's  profession, 
91,  92;  his  obligations  to  popular 
poets,  91,  92;  adopts  manner  of 
Galicians,  92;  his  rejiertoire,  93; 
in  America,  120;  his  drama,  232, 
233 ;  and  see  74,  106,  187,  218. 

Zunz,  17. 

Zufipiel,  nature  of,  78;  and  see  86. 

Zweifel,  Elieser,  Zwi,  his  poetry,  tXi; 
his  moral  treatises,  174,  175 ;  and 
see  137,  244;  extract  and  transla- 
tion, 264,  265. 


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